Crime & Safety

DPW: What to Expect When You're Expecting...Snow

Medfield Department of Public Works is ready for the Blizzard of 2013.

 

The snow has just started to fall in Medfield and the town's Department of Public Works is already hard at work.

In fact, the DPW was ready on Thursday afternoon with all trucks filled with fuel and standing in queue, just waiting for the word to hit the streets.

Find out what's happening in Medfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

With the first snowfall, residents should expect to some trucks head out to pre-salt the main roads and intersections; this will help later in the storm when they have to add more salt. 

"Pre-salting helps a lot after the snow starts to fall because, then, you're working with two layers of salt to melt the snow," explained DPW Foreman Robert Kennedy, Jr. on Thursday as the staff got ready for the potentially historic storm. 

Find out what's happening in Medfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"At the beginning of the storm, we pre-salt the main roads and loops, and some secondary roads," said Kennedy.

Storm coverage will include 38 employees and 40 pieces of equipment -- including eight 10-wheel MAC trucks with 11-foot plows -- to maintain the town's 75 miles of roadway.

"Throughout the storm, we try to keep everything open for Emergency Response [teams] or First Responders, that's our goal," said Kennedy. "We need to keep it so the emergency responders can get around." 

DPW Superintendent Ken Feeney says, if the snow is falling at two inches an hour (especially with high wind speeds), it will be impossible for all roads to be fully clear during the storm but, with the crew working non-stop throughout the event, the roads will be clear shortly after the storm ends.  

And people should stay off the roads.

"We will be consistently trying to keep the roads open but people should stay home and stay calm because they're not going anywhere," said Feeney.

When asked what people can do to help, Feeney said residents can clear snow from their hydrants, if they are safely able to do so. 

Want more storm information including weather updates, safety tips and fun facts? Check out Patch's Blizzard 2013: Medfield Information Center.


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