Highway Departments prepare for the inclement weather with winter operations training
Winter is nearly upon us again, and municipal Highway Departments throughout the region are busy preparing equipment and personnel for their upcoming snow plowing , keeping our roads safe for travel. Recently, Highway personnel from 3 counties gathered at the Putnam County Bureau of Emergency Services Training Center to attend a course on Winter Plowing Operations & Safety, delivered by Ground Force Training, Inc.
Highway Superintendents and their personnel representing the following municipalities participated:
- Putnam County Highway & Facilities Dept.
- Town of Dover
- Town of Kent
- Town of Philipstown
- Town of Patterson
- Town of Southeast
- Town of Yorktown
- Village of Cold Spring
Putnam’s Commissioner of Highways & Facilities, Fred Pena, the host of the training, spoke of Putnam County’s commitment to public safety and the safety of the highway personnel that keep the roads open during the winter storms that frequent our area.
This is the third year of the training at the county. County Safety Officer John O’Connor, who coordinated the activity, stated that since its inception, the training program has reduced safety related incidents as well as greatly contributed to more efficiency during plowing operations. The increased efficiency and reduced incidents translates to taxpayer savings by using less materials (salt,sand), less man hours and extending equipment service life.
