Mount Vernon snow plow drivers prepare for another challenging winter
MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. -- Rain is in the forecast, but crews in Mount Vernon are preparing for snow.
The local department of public works hooked up plows and drivers reviewed their routes on Friday to get ready for whatever winter may bring.
"Some roads are a lot easier to navigate, some you really have to be able to maneuver," said Laquan Burton, with the Mount Vernon Department of Public Works.
Burton took the day to review his route and get ready for another challenging winter at the wheel of a snow plow.
"When it's icy out, people just pull out right in front of you, and they think you can stop on a dime and you can't," said Burton.
Some storms require Burton to spend 24 hours straight on the job.
"Getting the proper rest and making sure you're well-equipped mentally is the best that you can do," he said.
Though snow is likely weeks away, the Mount Vernon DPW team works well in advance to prepare.
"We want to just make sure that we have our equipment and our salt and our manpower ready to combat the storm," said DPW Commissioner Damani Bush.
Bush said Mount Vernon has several new smaller plow trucks to navigate narrow roads and that all plows are now equipped with GPS trackers.
"So during the storm we're actually able to track and monitor which routes are clear and how long they're taking to be completed and we can give that information to the public as well," said Bush.
Bush said the public can help with storm response by following a few simple rules.
"Making sure that they don't throw the snow back into the street, clear the sidewalks and stay off the roads and let us do our jobs," said Bush.
Mount Vernon's protocol is to pre-treat roads when there's at least an inch of snow in the forecast, and plow when three or more inches accumulates.