42VTExplorer
01-03-2005, 07:56 AM
Alright, so the weather here is severe, there are multiple agencies that have no staffing, or have everyone out right now, and mutual aide is going bonkers!
It's 6:15 AM as I check the little ticker at the bottom of the window for my school to pop up. Of course, it didn't, or else this wouldn't be here. About 2 minutes after watching that, my city has to call mutual aide to an MVA, then mutual aide to yet another call, just to assist with traffic. The roads here are GLARE ICE, the public works department is not prepared at all, and none of the roads are fit for driving right now. I woke up probably twenty times in the night, hearing multiple MVAs, a potential MVA / HAZMAT that was stopped early on (caused by weather), and multiple other weather related calls. Now mind you, it was freezing rain, hail, and a bit of rather wet snow yesterday, and it froze up the interstates and other roads bad enough that they were closed for extended periods of time.
Pause that.
There is an MVA right now, and due to the limited resources, a department pickup truck was the only one able to respond. Luckily, mutual aide was able to bring down a heavy rescue, and assist as needed, as well as doing traffic control. Hmmm, sounds real safe to have students travelling when there is very little of the safety net that we're supposed to have, right?
So, It's now 6:35, and I'm looking at the updated list. Still not on there. Alright, so now my city's department is now back in quarters, other then their pickup truck, that's still on scene. Just fine and dandy, but the roads still aren't any better. Oh, that's okay, if you get in an accident there is the fire department. :rolleyes:
My city is in a valley of sorts, two extreme hills that run for a while on each side of the flat downtown district. Now mind you, we are talking about 2 of the main roads here, and a few others that come from high population residential areas. They are solid ice, have not been touched by DPW, and yet the Superintendant of Schools thinks it's appropriate to make us travel. We don't have busses, so it's not like we have any way to keep students safer and have them travel in the bus, instead of 500 cars trying to make it to the high school. Why not just pair up each bus with a sand and salt rig, and send them out. Oh, WHY NOT JUST SAND THE DAMN ROADS!?
So, they just gave a weather update on a local news channel. I guess even they are reporting 'frozen roads and trecherous' travel'. Every other school district seems to be closed, except ours. What's it going to take, a major accident for the Superintendant to get the idea? It's UNSAFE right now, and there's nothing I, or anyone else can do to persuade him right now.
It seems like all of the school that surround mine, each with their own respective superintendent for their district, are delayed two hours, or closed. Now the question is, how can a school be open when there is no availiable fire-rescue, and EMS support?
We're talking about 2 career combo fire and EMS departments, 1 career EMS department, and the rest in the area, all volunteer. As soon as 7:30 AM rolls around, we're going to lose all our volunteers, because they won't volunteer unless food is on their table right, and they have a good roof over their head (Apparatus doesn't count :D), right? Right.
It's currently 39*, and 6:51 AM. the roads are NOT melting, even with this 'WARM' temperature. The roads are still solid ice. Hmmm, if the ground is frozen solid, and the ground temperature is less then freezing, don't ya think the road is going to STAY frozen(or atleast thaw even slower)? What a novel idea. :rolleyes:
6:55 AM, normally the time when I'm in the shower. They just added us to the list. There are a few towns way out in the middle of no where that had to leave 15 minutes ago to get students to my highschool by 7:45. There are only 4 or 5 of these students, but guess what? They just missed the update that we have the delay. How nice.
**SIDE NOTE: I enjoy High School, maintain good grades, and don't mind having to go. I'm just a little pissed off that theis Superintendant we have is not well informed when it comes to making decisisions, and is going to put 1500 students lives on the line by not having :rolleyes:
It's 6:15 AM as I check the little ticker at the bottom of the window for my school to pop up. Of course, it didn't, or else this wouldn't be here. About 2 minutes after watching that, my city has to call mutual aide to an MVA, then mutual aide to yet another call, just to assist with traffic. The roads here are GLARE ICE, the public works department is not prepared at all, and none of the roads are fit for driving right now. I woke up probably twenty times in the night, hearing multiple MVAs, a potential MVA / HAZMAT that was stopped early on (caused by weather), and multiple other weather related calls. Now mind you, it was freezing rain, hail, and a bit of rather wet snow yesterday, and it froze up the interstates and other roads bad enough that they were closed for extended periods of time.
Pause that.
There is an MVA right now, and due to the limited resources, a department pickup truck was the only one able to respond. Luckily, mutual aide was able to bring down a heavy rescue, and assist as needed, as well as doing traffic control. Hmmm, sounds real safe to have students travelling when there is very little of the safety net that we're supposed to have, right?
So, It's now 6:35, and I'm looking at the updated list. Still not on there. Alright, so now my city's department is now back in quarters, other then their pickup truck, that's still on scene. Just fine and dandy, but the roads still aren't any better. Oh, that's okay, if you get in an accident there is the fire department. :rolleyes:
My city is in a valley of sorts, two extreme hills that run for a while on each side of the flat downtown district. Now mind you, we are talking about 2 of the main roads here, and a few others that come from high population residential areas. They are solid ice, have not been touched by DPW, and yet the Superintendant of Schools thinks it's appropriate to make us travel. We don't have busses, so it's not like we have any way to keep students safer and have them travel in the bus, instead of 500 cars trying to make it to the high school. Why not just pair up each bus with a sand and salt rig, and send them out. Oh, WHY NOT JUST SAND THE DAMN ROADS!?
So, they just gave a weather update on a local news channel. I guess even they are reporting 'frozen roads and trecherous' travel'. Every other school district seems to be closed, except ours. What's it going to take, a major accident for the Superintendant to get the idea? It's UNSAFE right now, and there's nothing I, or anyone else can do to persuade him right now.
It seems like all of the school that surround mine, each with their own respective superintendent for their district, are delayed two hours, or closed. Now the question is, how can a school be open when there is no availiable fire-rescue, and EMS support?
We're talking about 2 career combo fire and EMS departments, 1 career EMS department, and the rest in the area, all volunteer. As soon as 7:30 AM rolls around, we're going to lose all our volunteers, because they won't volunteer unless food is on their table right, and they have a good roof over their head (Apparatus doesn't count :D), right? Right.
It's currently 39*, and 6:51 AM. the roads are NOT melting, even with this 'WARM' temperature. The roads are still solid ice. Hmmm, if the ground is frozen solid, and the ground temperature is less then freezing, don't ya think the road is going to STAY frozen(or atleast thaw even slower)? What a novel idea. :rolleyes:
6:55 AM, normally the time when I'm in the shower. They just added us to the list. There are a few towns way out in the middle of no where that had to leave 15 minutes ago to get students to my highschool by 7:45. There are only 4 or 5 of these students, but guess what? They just missed the update that we have the delay. How nice.
**SIDE NOTE: I enjoy High School, maintain good grades, and don't mind having to go. I'm just a little pissed off that theis Superintendant we have is not well informed when it comes to making decisisions, and is going to put 1500 students lives on the line by not having :rolleyes: