Dozens of officials met at the Bear Creek Township PennDOT facility in Luzerne County Friday morning. They are looking to improve communications between various agencies when winter weather strikes.
"Knowing who we can call, knowing where we get the help that we need, it's just so much easier for us," said Stephen Bekanich, director of emergency management for Luzene County.
"PennDOT, state police; these are the agencies that are making some decisions. Fire service needs to be involved in this because we're the ones out there in the field with the general public," said Hazle Township Fire Chief Scott Kosticin.
The meeting was the first of its kind in the county for PennDOT. Officials said good communication can prevent past issues from popping up again.
"Since the Valentine's Day storm of 2007 things have greatly improved. Just opening up the lines of communications, getting all the proper people involved in the incident," Kosticin said.
Officials also discussed improvements for the upcoming winter season. The installation of several new cameras this year bring the total up to 26 across the region. A traffic camera on the River Street overpass of Interstate 81 is one of the newest. PennDOTcan use it to do a 360-degree view of the surrounding areas to monitor traffic conditions on the highway below.
"They could add resources to those areas when they see the snow on the ground, which would greatly protect the public," Kosticin said of the cameras.
Plow operator Joe Mullarkey said having cooperation from all sides is a win-win. "During storms there's quite a bit of different and crazy things that can pop up and getting in touch with them can make it a heck of a lot easier for us to keep the roads safe for the people," Mullarkey said.
PennDOT said it is ready for any winter conditions mother nature throws at the region. In the mean time, warmer conditions are in the forecast, so any snow accumulations should hold off for the foreseable future.
"Knowing who we can call, knowing where we get the help that we need, it's just so much easier for us," said Stephen Bekanich, director of emergency management for Luzene County.
"PennDOT, state police; these are the agencies that are making some decisions. Fire service needs to be involved in this because we're the ones out there in the field with the general public," said Hazle Township Fire Chief Scott Kosticin.
The meeting was the first of its kind in the county for PennDOT. Officials said good communication can prevent past issues from popping up again.
"Since the Valentine's Day storm of 2007 things have greatly improved. Just opening up the lines of communications, getting all the proper people involved in the incident," Kosticin said.
Officials also discussed improvements for the upcoming winter season. The installation of several new cameras this year bring the total up to 26 across the region. A traffic camera on the River Street overpass of Interstate 81 is one of the newest. PennDOTcan use it to do a 360-degree view of the surrounding areas to monitor traffic conditions on the highway below.
"They could add resources to those areas when they see the snow on the ground, which would greatly protect the public," Kosticin said of the cameras.
Plow operator Joe Mullarkey said having cooperation from all sides is a win-win. "During storms there's quite a bit of different and crazy things that can pop up and getting in touch with them can make it a heck of a lot easier for us to keep the roads safe for the people," Mullarkey said.
PennDOT said it is ready for any winter conditions mother nature throws at the region. In the mean time, warmer conditions are in the forecast, so any snow accumulations should hold off for the foreseable future.
