Winter Storm Update via Alert Montgomery

Weather Update
A winter-storm warning is in effect starting at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, March 6th and lasting until 3:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 7th. This storm is expected to start as rain on Tuesday evening, March 5th, but change over to snow late evening.

Snow totals will vary. Accumulations of 2 – 4 inches Tuesday night and an additional 4 – 6 inches Wednesday are possible. Winds on Wednesday will be out of the NE at 20 – 25 miles per hour (mph) with gusts up to 35 mph.

Preparations
With heavy snow and gusty winds come the potential of tree limbs to come down on power lines. Make sure you have a battery-operated radio and flashlight; extra prescription medication; and charge cell phones or other critical battery-operated equipment.

As a reminder, please stay off the roads during dangerous driving conditions. If you must drive, make sure you have a full tank of gas. Include an emergency kit in your car with extra blankets, some food and water, and a first-aid kit.

Montgomery County Update
Montgomery County will send out periodic updates on the status of county government, school, and transportation via Alert Montgomery. To find information between updates, visit the following:
• Monitor street plow status: http://www5.montgomerycountymd.gov/snowmap/
• Montgomery County Government Status Updates (including RideOn Bus status, trash and recycling collection, and library and recreation center closures): http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov
• MCPS School Closure Information: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/emergency/

Important Contact Information
• For non-emergencies, contact Montgomery County Government at 311 or (240)-777-0311
• For emergencies, call 911
• To report power or other utility outages:
PEPCO: 1-877-737-2662
Baltimore Gas and Electric: 1-877-778-2222 or 1-800-685-0123
Potomac Edison (Allegheny Power): 1-800-255-3443
Washington Gas: 1-800-752-7520
WSSC: 1-800-828-4002

Sent to All users (E-mail accounts, Pagers, Cell phones) through Alert Montgomery

MCFRS Social Media and Hashtag For The Snow Storm

Hopefully all of you are preparing properly for the snow storm.  Keep informed and up to date as snow totals and storm information can change rapidly.

Check out the latest best and worse case scenario totals to the right.

Montgomery County Fire & Rescue social media platforms will be functioning at various points throughout the storm.  The primary platforms to be used will be: 

• Fire & Rescue Blog
• Follow Fire & Rescue on Twitter
• Like Fire & Rescue on Facebook

Please understand that due to various circumstances and resource needs, this will not be a total 24 hour source of timely EMERGENCY information.  For that we highly recommend that you Sign up for Alert Montgomery emails and texts.

For this event on Twitter, we will be using the hashtag #mocosnow I will try and answer questions as I can but, again, understand it may take a bit to get back with you.  

I will try and do a TweetChat at various points during the event as well.  Please note that this is not the way to contact us for any emergencies!!!  You are to call 911 if you need emergency assistance!

Stay Safe!

Bill

SNOW - Stay off the Roads, Not Out in the Weather

Overall, most winter storm deaths result from vehicle or other transportation accidents caused by ice and snow. Residents should avoid driving when conditions include sleet, freezing rain or drizzle, snow, or dense fog. These are serious conditions that are often underestimated, and they make driving – and even walking outside – very hazardous.

It is safer for everyone if you stay put – and not travel during inclement weather – whether you are at home, work or school.

By staying off the roads during the worst of the weather, local departments of transportation are more easily able to access roads that need treatment, snow plows can more freely clear roads and get to areas needing plowing and public safety officials can respond more quickly to residents in need of emergency services.

It may require employees to take a couple of hours of personal leave during the winter, but leaving early enough to avoid bad weather and traffic gridlock caused by slippery road conditions is worth the investment. Thinking strategically about your travel and where you really need to be will require some planning and thought. 

“Get Where You Need to be Before the Weather Gets Bad”

Do NOT Travel During Winter Storms

• Curtail “elective” travel; avoid unnecessary travel. If it is not a life safety issue, stay off the roads.
• If you don’t have to travel… don’t! The safest place during a winter storm is indoors. About 70 percent of deaths related to ice and snow occur in automobiles.
• Stay at the office an extra hour, or leave early, to avoid travel during a winter storm.
• If residents stay off the roads during a storm, transportation workers and public safety officials are better able to clear roadways and respond to emergency needs quicker.

Weather Changes Quickly 

• Be prepared for the worst. Be ready to spend an extra hour at the office, or leave an hour or two early, to avoid a more time consuming commute home during the height of a storm.
• Have an emergency supply kit in your office and car.

Listen to Local Officials 

• If local officials advise residents to stay off the roads – then stay off the roads.
• Public safety and emergency management officials, along with National Weather Service meteorologists, base travel advisories and guidance on weather forecasts. Heed their advice!
• Businesses that follow closing/delay policies from local jurisdictions or the federal Office of Personnel Management need to monitor those sources and release employees when advised.

Monitor the Weather 

• Listen to local Radio/TV weather forecasts; monitor social media.
• Sign up for text alerts from your local government.
• Sign up for weather alerts from NOAA/National Weather Service, including RSS feeds of your forecast and weather watches/warnings.
• Purchase a NOAA weather radio for your home and office. NOAA Weather Radio is the prime alerting and critical information delivery system of the National Weather Service (NWS). NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts warnings, watches, forecasts, and other hazard information 24 hours a day.

Know the Emergency Plans for your Children’s School 

• If your child is safe at school, why risk a traffic accident during the worst weather to reach him/her, and then put all of you in danger? Let the school system implement their emergency plan, stay off the road and let transportation crews clear the roadways.

About the National Capital Region (NCR)

The National Capital Region (NCR) is not an operational entity because emergency response is a local function. Because the NCR is a collection of sovereign jurisdictions, including cities, counties, states and the District of Columbia, this website and the efforts of the region's communicators and public information officers will focus on regional collaboration between the region’s homeland security partners to achieve a “safe and secure National Capital Region.”

Recruit Class 37 Update

Recruit Class 37, a set on Flickr.

By: Captain Jason Blake

Recruit Class 37 is 8 weeks into their 26 weeks of training. Half the class is taking Emergency Medical Technician, a 165 hour training course, while the other half is taking Fire Fighter I and II training.

The end of the Fire Fighter training concludes with scenario- based evolutions, similar to what recruits will see when riding apparatus at the firehouse. The scenarios simulate fires in single family homes, apartment buildings and high rises. Recruits are broken up in to groups and assigned to the Engine Company (water and hoses), Truck Company (aerial ladder) or Rescue Squad (search for civilians) and fulfill the duties in the scenarios per MCFRS policy and procedures. This takes recruits from individual tasks, which they are still mastering, and applies them to live fire and smoke conditions- very similar to incidents that occur in the county every day.

The Instructors and Recruits travel to Loudoun County, Virginia and Frederick County, Maryland to use their respective burn facilities so the students experience different layouts of buildings. Fire Departments in the region often share facilities and resources to better their departments.

MCFRS Significant Incident Map Sunday, February 24 – Saturday, March 2. New Feature Added!

Understand these are only incidents we think have some significance and will not include, for example, a response to false or well intentioned fire alarms. Likewise, not every single medical call is on there either.

We have added a NEW feature as well!  Look for the Camera Icon next to some of the incidents.  Clicking on this icon will either show you a photo or a photo and a link to more photos of the incident.  Hope everyone likes this new feature.

Hope all of you find this useful. Please comment below or send an email letting us know what you think. 

View MCFRS Significant Incident Map in a larger map