Town begins planning & prep for winter season
By Mike BergerThe following is from an article that appears in the November 5 edition of the Canton Citizen.
This week the weather has been mild with sunny skies and temperatures almost summerlike in the 60s and 70s. Snow, ice, cold temperatures, and roof raking are the furthest thing from anyone’s mind.
But DPW Superintendent Mike Trotta, Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director Charlie Doody, and Building Inspector Ed Walsh are already busy planning for the upcoming winter and all agree that winter planning should be on the agenda of residents and business owners alike.
Trotta is planning to hold a special session for town snow plowers November 18-19 in what he calls “preseason practice — just like the Patriots.” Doody will also hold a mock emergency shelter drill for emergency volunteers at CHS at the end of November.
Canton, like every other community in Massachusetts, experienced one of the worst winters on record last season, receiving a whopping 128 inches of snow. The unprecedented snowfall stretched many town departments to their limits during the end of January and the entire month of February. The Fire Department responded to 840 emergency calls between January 1 and March 1, including four structure fires; several roof collapses (including the Metropolis Skating Rink and another that resulted in a fatality); and 134 investigations of natural gas and water leaks.
Between February 10 and March 24, the Building Department received 28 building and roof calls, including 19 calls in 21 days from the Fire Department. Walsh said the department typically receives eight to 10 calls annually from the Fire Department regarding roof issues.
Doody said the Fire Department responded to 206 more emergencies than for the same time period the previous year with an average of 14.2 emergency responses per day.
Doody said one of the lessons he learned from last year is to allow more time to adequately plan for the severity of the winter. “Last year it was read and react,” he said. “This year the emphasis is on more game planning.”
Doody said the Fire Department will be making more public announcements and advisories on the importance of clearing hydrants, gas meters, and dryer vents and installing carbon monoxide detectors.
He will also be working with Walsh to prepare a joint advisory on inspecting roofs and avoiding ice dams. He advised homeowners to line up a contractor who could service their roof during the winter, especially for flat roofs and some pitched roofs. “You should get your roof rakes now,” he added.
Doody will be holding the mock shelter opening at CHS on November 28 to train the 40-member Community Emergency Response Team, which formed last year …
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Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=31339
Posted by Mike Berger
on Nov 5 2015. Filed under News, Police & Fire, Town Government.
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