“I would encourage the public to ensure they’re getting their snow tires on and drive according to the weather conditions.”
That’s the advice from Lloydminster Fire Chief Leigh Sawicki after the first storm of Winter 2021-22. He said they got a mix of calls in the last day related to the storm.
“We’ve probably done 10 calls over the last 24-hours and it’s not just motor vehicle accidents, it’s everything from carbon monoxide to small outside fires to motor vehicle collisions and things like that.”
After Tuesday’s all-day snow event and winds ranging from 40-80 km/hr, the first burst of Ole’ Man Winter has presented several commuting challenges in the region. The Environment Canada forecast called for 10-20 cm of snow in some areas.
The Fire Chief noted the number of vehicles stuck in snow drifts and reminded residents to make the adjustments for the road conditions.
“It’s more so driving to work or driving from one place to the other. It’s not that we are getting 911 calls to go push people out of drifts, but if we come along and we see somebody stuck in the middle of the road, we are going to go out and try and move them out of the way.”
City crews have been clearing priority one areas like 44 Street, 12 Street, 75 and 40 Avenue before moving to priority two areas which they aim to clear within three days of snowfall over five centimetres.