Photo By Scott Sturkol | An equipment operator with the Fort McCoy snow-removal team clears snow Jan. 16, 2024,...... read more read more
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Snow-removal crews were busy between Jan. 9-13 at Fort McCoy as the installation received more than 18 inches of snow over that span, plus the snowfall was followed by below-zero temperatures.
The snowy weather also caused the installation to go to minimal staffing on Jan. 9 and 12 as driving conditions in the local areas were considered less than favorable.
The National Weather Service (NWS) described the heaviest part of the storms that took place Jan. 12-13.
“A potent winter storm brought heavy snow and strong/gusty winds to much of the region from early Friday morning, January 12th into the morning of Saturday the 13th,” the NWS stated at https://www.weather.gov/arx/jan1224. “A broad swath of a foot or more of snow ran from southern Iowa into southern and eastern Wisconsin. The bulk of the snow fell that Friday. Meanwhile, north winds were gusting 40-plus mph at times across portions of Iowa and southern/eastern Wisconsin on Friday afternoon and evening. Widespread blowing and drifting snow lead to blizzard conditions across parts of these areas.”
At Fort McCoy, personnel with the Directorate of Emergency Services, including police and fire personnel, were always on duty during the snowy week. Also on hand were the members of the Fort McCoy snow-removal team.
The team includes contractor Kaiyuh Services LLC and Directorate of Public Works (DPW) personnel. The team helps keep more than 400 miles of roads, sidewalks, and parking areas clear so the Fort McCoy workforce can operate safely.
Snow removal at Fort McCoy is completed in prioritized areas, DPW officials said. For example, priority one areas typically are areas where there are higher concentrations of people, such as at the Child Development Center and School Age Center/Youth Center, Wisconsin Military Academy, Wisconsin State Patrol Academy, and areas near the Fort McCoy Exchange and Commissary. Priority two and three areas are cleared immediately in succession as required.
The Kaiyuh team, as the Fort McCoy grounds contractor, has dozens of people working year-round at Fort McCoy. In a previous news article, Kaiyuh Program Manager Brad Knoll said everyone on the staff lives locally, and they all know the importance of what they do.
“We have experts in the field (of snow removal),” Knoll said, noting that Kaiyuh has personnel with decades of experience from working with the Monroe County Highway Department, for example. “What we do is done with a reason and a purpose. We’re always out here watching the roads, and we’re always preparing making sure everyone (on staff) knows our game plan.”
Following the snow, the installation dealt with sub-zero temperatures until January 20, then a slight warmup began.
The snow and cold also slowed work on construction projects on post, specifically with the third barracks project as the extreme cold made continuing significant progress on that project more difficult, Army Corps of Engineers officials said.
Fort McCoy Installation Safety Manager Edson De Leon with the Installation Safety Office reminds everyone to be prepared for cold weather, especially when driving.
“Freezing temperatures and hazardous road conditions are to be expected for the next several months as we go through winter,” De Leon said. “On average, Wisconsin experiences over 18,000 motor vehicle crashes a year. A small percentage of those accidents ends up in a fatality.
So, whether you’re doing winter driving in Wisconsin or elsewhere, De Leon said to just be prepared for anything.
“Winter weather conditions make driving more complicated but slowing down, keeping your vehicle properly maintained to handle the conditions, and some basic risk management considerations will help you avoid a winter car accident,” De Leon said.
See more about being prepared for winter driving by visiting https://www.dvidshub.net/news/460504/remember-safe-driving-practices-more-during-winter. Also see more about winter safety by visiting the Army Combat Readiness Center’s website at https://safety.army.mil.
And also visit https://www.ready.gov to learn about building home and vehicle winter safety kits.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on the Defense Visual Information Distribution System at https://www.dvidshub.net/fmpao, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”
Also try downloading the Digital Garrison app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”
| Date Taken: | 01.22.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 01.22.2024 16:57 |
| Story ID: | 462219 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 699 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Winter weather hits Fort McCoy with snow, extreme cold in mid-January 2024, by Scott Sturkol, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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