ROSSFORD, Ohio — Areas of northwest Ohio saw more than a foot of snow Monday night, but harsh weather conditions don't stop first responders from answering the call.
Tuesday was a busy morning for the Rossford Fire Department. Starting at 1 a.m., fire crews were called out to an automatic fire alarm, medical emergencies, a fall and an assault, but they were prepared for the storm with extra manpower.
"Typically when we get a weather event like this, we do staff people at the fire station," Rossford Fire Chief Josh Drouard said. "They're not going to cause additional delay by trying to come from home and clean off cars, navigate roadways, etc."
Rossford had four people at the station and two people on-call.
Getting in and out of homes can be tricky with winter weather, so the fire department has a four-wheel pickup truck equipped with shovels and salt packs to remove the heavy snow that accumulated overnight.
"We try to always staff a couple of extra people to assist with equipment and sometimes doing a little bit of snow removal at a person's house so we can have a safe means of getting a person out back into the ambulance," Drouard said.
Following winter weather events like the one Monday night, Drouard asks residents to shovel a three-foot radius around fire hydrants to help keep them clear, so firefighters have an easier time in case of an emergency.