Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hello, and welcome to the county where we explore issues important to Baltimore County, Maryland. I'm Bill Baker, your host for this episode. A Slow Moving La Nina Weather pattern is setting up to influence conditions for the upcoming winter across the us. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says that this sort of pattern typically leads to a more northernly storm track during the winter months, leaving the southern part of the country warmer and drier. That includes Maryland and the entire Mid-Atlantic region. Having said that, it's still important to have an emergency weather plan in place. Joining us right now is Baltimore County's director of the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Dave Boff. Thanks for being here. 

Speaker 2 (00:47):
Thanks for having me.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
So why is it important to have an emergency weather plan in place before severe weather strikes?

Speaker 2 (00:54):
Well, as you can imagine when an event is happening, that's not when you want to be on the road. That's not when you want to be gathering surprise or preparing your home. You want to be ahead of the game. So really important to know what your individual needs are know what your family's needs are and take those precautions when you start seeing the signs and when you start seeing the news that says a winter weather event or any kind of weather event is coming,

Speaker 1 (01:18):
How does the county prepare for the winter weather?

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Sure. So usually depending on the how in far in advance we know we start getting information from the National Weather Service and then we convene meetings, and we make sure that our Department of Public Works is prepared, and our property management is prepared. And our county leaders are, are up to date to know when to make decisions about openings, closings, and delays. Meanwhile, our public safety folks, like the fire department and the police department, are making sure that all their equipment is good in good working order and is ready to respond in those wintery conditions.

Speaker 1 (01:59):
What is the county doing right now as the, you know, potential threat happens? Are there things that the county starts doing right now in anticipation?

Speaker 2 (02:08):
Absolutely. one of the things, most important things we do is something called exercises. So just the last week or two weeks ago, we convened most of our county agencies and we went through kind of a virtual snowstorm. And we had a really robust discussion about, well, what would you be doing three days before this event? And what does the does the communications department put out to make, make our constituents safer? And what is highways doing? So, we make sure we have the right stakeholders in place, and we make sure that they have the right tools that they have during blue sky days, so that when the winter weather does come, everybody's prepared.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
One of the things we talked about during that exercise was how the different agencies respond. What would you want residents of Baltimore County to know about, call about if they have an emergency in one of these, like during one of these storms, and about calling 911 during a storm?

Speaker 2 (03:08):
First of all, if you think you need to call 911, call 911. We never really want to tell people not to call. But again, you know, if you think about what is going to land you in the emergency room or what's gonna make you, make it a priority for you to get to the hospital. Obviously if there's a fire in your home, obviously if you're having some kind of law enforcement issue where you need the police out, please call 911. But also understand that we are we are driving on the same terrain that you are. So, know that it might take us an extra little while to get there, especially once there's a few inches of snow or a few feet of snow on the ground and know that we are under the same conditions that the rest of the public are. We will respond, we will get to you as quickly and safely as we can, but safety really becomes our priority during those times.

Speaker 1 (04:02):
If and when winter weather strikes. What are some items that people should have at the ready in their homes, but also in their vehicles?

Speaker 2 (04:09):
So, we always recommend having a snow shovel. We always recommend having some what we call shelf stable food. So, granola bars, peanut butter, things like that around the house especially. But, you know, a box in your car would be a good idea too. Things that don't need to be cooked in case there is a weather outage. You also want to have water on hand. And we always say in the digital age, make sure you have your cell phones charged and make sure you have those little battery backups that allow you to charge your cell phone once or twice are super helpful during these events. 

Speaker 1 (04:47):
One of the overlooked issues is pets and farm animals. Why is it important to include them as part of your winter weather plan?

Speaker 2 (04:56):
Pets on one hand are part of our family. And I know from experience I have pets in my home and they're going to be a priority to some family members. So, we want to make sure they're safe. We want to make sure they're in the house when they, when, when it becomes really cold and really uncomfortable outside. As for farm animals, not only are they sometimes pets but they're sources of income and sources of food for families. And so it is very important that we're keeping them healthy by making sure they have enough clean drinking water and food and are not out in those freezing weather conditions.

Speaker 1 (05:30):
You know, you hear it on the news all the time and that somebody thinks they can go out and they, and they get stuck. Is there anything that we haven't covered already that you would want people to know to help stay safe?

Speaker 2 (05:40):
Sure. So first of all, like we talked at the beginning prepare before. You don't want to have to drive to your local grocery store in a foot and a half of snow, so be prepared. That's number one. Number two, don't go out if you don't have to, and really think about what that means, what does have to mean because most of us can, can stay comfortably in our homes for a couple of days and watch the snow and, you know, enjoy that time off. So that's really important. Also know what kind of vehicle you have. There are so many vehicles that just should not be on the road when it's snowing. And if you have one of those vehicles really stay home it's important to have to maybe let somebody know, or to find somebody that, that, that can help you if you absolutely have to go somewhere. But just understand that when you get on the road and have a problem, that's one more road that could, is possibly impassable for public safety folks. So, the best thing you can do is stay home and enjoy the through the scenery.

Speaker 1 (06:43):
What kind of resources does the county have to help people out?

Speaker 2 (06:46):
Number one, we, our public safety folks, our fire and police have the ability to increase staffing. We do have all terrain vehicles. We do have the resources in place to continue to respond. We also have a very robust website. If anybody would like to go to the Baltimore County website and go to the snow page, they'll find real time updates of the progress that's being done to plow the roads. Not only do our do our county agencies have employees that are plowing the roads and our sidewalks, but we also have contracts in place. So, we're bringing in our other resources to make sure that our residents are the priority and our roads, and our streets are being are being plowed efficiently.

Speaker 1 (07:36):
Is there anything that you would want the residents of Baltimore County to know that we haven't already covered?

Speaker 2 (07:42):
Yes. So, one of the things that we always like to remind people of is the risk of carbon monoxide when using generators. Portable generators most of the time, especially the ones that are, you know, are on wheels that you, you keep in your garage over the summertime, they run on gasoline. So, the fumes from those, those motors and those engines can cause a toxic gas called carbon oxide to enter your house. So, if you choose to use a generator, number one get a licensed electrician to make those connections for you. And number two, make sure that piece of equipment is way outside the, is not just outside the house, but outside the house by quite a few feet so that you're not running the risk of that carbon monoxide poison. And just as important, never use an alternate resource to heat your home. Never use your stove or your oven to heat your home. Only use approved heating equipment.

Speaker 1 (08:40):
Thanks for listening to this episode of “The County”. This episode was produced with help from the Baltimore County Public Library Media Services. Tune in next time.