Storm Response Is a '24-7 Job’ for Some

When rain began to fall on Southington late Saturday morning, the thought of heavy snow that would later cause more than 13,000 Connecticut Light & Power customers to be left in the dark wasn’t on the mind of most local residents.

But for those in the public sector, many who had been preparing for the potential dangers of the storm for days, it was time to get to work.

Police, firefighters and staff with the town’s Highway Department have worked around the clock since Saturday afternoon, responding to emergency calls and working to minimize damage and clear the roads so residents can enjoy life as normal — well, as normal as one could expect for a town where electrical outages reached 70 percent of the entire community.

“To them it’s just a job, but our staff has really stepped it up. Some departments, including our public works sector, have been working non-stop for 72 hours straight,” said Garry Brumback. “They see it as a job, and many times, it goes unnoticed. I don’t know if there is any level of recognition that will describe the thanks they deserve. This was an epic event.”

It’s hard to picture things being much worse, but with each of the surrounding towns suffering outages in excess of 80 percent — those directly to the north were still in a 100 percent blackout as of Monday afternoon — Southington was more fortunate than some.

And Brumback said a lot of that had to do with the team-oriented effort displayed by town staff.

By the time the first snowflake fell Saturday, Sgt. Lowell DePalma said, officers were already mobilizing, with several coming in on their day off or agreeing to pick-up overtime or extended shifts to help address an anticipated increase in response needs.

“It’s mission driven,” DePalma said. “What happens in cases like this, (the town) is in emergency mode and public safety is the key. Public safety becomes the top priority.”

As police administrators were scheduling officers, Fire Chief Harold Clark and his team were making similar adjustments down the road at the .

Scheduling can be a challenge during demanding storms, especially when you consider both the type and volume that emergency officials receive when Mother Nature releases chaos upon the town. The fire department received over 200 calls for service in a 48-hour period during and after the storm, Clark said, while police received “too many to count” according to DePalma.

“Busy is an understatement,” Clark said. “We were fortunate with the timing because we had many of our volunteer firefighters available during the weekend, but we received hundreds of calls. Not tens, hundreds.”

From car accidents to downed wires, reports of injuries and damage to homes and property, firefighters found themselves constantly on the road. The task is grueling, but with proper scheduling, the department is able to handle staff and provide proper rest and food to get the job done.

Clark said the department started with their usual team, a group already scheduled to work a 24-hour shift. The members are each assigned to a truck and work in sub-groups. In addition to that, the department called on volunteers and brought in four to five overtime firefighters to handle other tasks that let the trucks stay out on the road.

“We’d bring in one truck at a time to give our firefighters a chance to eat. There are constantly buckets of soup ready to go so they can get their nourishment and get back on the road,” Clark said. “Our staff are given time off in 10 hour shifts so they can get some rest and be ready to go at all times.”

DePalma said police were making similar plans as well, constantly rotating officers and using the entire roster to make sure their were enough cars on the road to address road closures and emergencies.

Working on typical eight-hour shifts, many took on overtime roles to help meet the growing needs caused by the storm’s destruction. After a two-shift maximum, each officer is required by law to get time off to rest – but it wasn’t long before many took back to the road.

“For us, it isn’t something so different. (Public safety) is a 24-hour business, so it’s a matter of scheduling,” DePalma said. “This is our job.”

When nature takes a turn for the worst as it did Saturday, however, Brumback said other town departments that have stepped up to make sure residents are able to return to life as quickly as possible. That is a task that staff with the Highway Department have taken upon themselves over the last several days.

Led by High Superintendent Steve Wlodkowski and Assistant Superintendent George Cole, the department’s staff has worked non-stop day and night in teams, rotating with four-hour shifts on and four-hour shifts off, to continually clear roads and help prepare for power restoration throughout the community, Brumback said.

A dedicated CL&P crew joined the Highway Department Sunday, Brumback said, and together they have been able to address problem areas and begin restoring power to the town. As of 12 a.m. Tuesday morning, power was restored to over 2,000 customers in town, according to CL&P.

CL&P reported that as of midnight, there were 10,865 customers, or 56 percent, still without power.

“These aren’t guys who are used to working a 24-hour shift and they’ve done it with no complaints for 72 hours now,” Brumback said. “There are constantly crews on the road. When they get time off, it’s to eat and to sleep so they are alert on the job. We don’t want them using chainsaws and heavy equipment if they are exhausted. It would lead to injuries and slow things down tremendously.”

Many of these employees, who live in the community themselves, are putting the town ahead of their own personal needs, Brumback said.

But Brumback said there are other groups who have constantly been working since the start of the storm who deserve credit as well.

Members of the Community Emergency Response Team have maintained a shelter, open 24-7 at , for residents in need. Emergency officials went door to door to town residents with known medical conditions to make sure they were safe.

Even other town entities including Southington schools, represented by Joseph V. Erardi, and the have had officials working with town staff around the clock to make sure everyone has a hot shower, warm meal and place to stay.

“Dr. Erardi and (YMCA Executive Director) John Myers have been at every meeting we’ve held in the Emergency Command Center,” Brumback said. “It’s this partnership that has allowed us to address immediate needs and it’s this dedication that will let Southington get back to life as normal as quickly as possible.”