The St. Joseph Stanton Fire Protection District is asking residents for their help.
The district posted to their Facebook page asking residents 18 years old or older, with a valid driver’s license and a reliable snowmobile to message the district so their name could be added to a list for the district to call if they needed a snowmobile to reach a person calling for assistance.
“You try to plan for all possible scenarios,” said Fire Chief Josh Reese.
Reese said the district has four-wheel-drive trucks but if the snow gets especially deep they won’t work so snowmobiles are another option.
Reese said the district has a good working relationship with St. Joseph Village Public Works and the St. Joseph Township Road Commissioners so if they need to be plowed into a certain address for emergencies they call them.
Reese said the district has used snowmobiles before but never asked for volunteers on Facebook before.
Reese said the most important thing the public can do is keep their parked cars off the roads so the plows can keep the roads clear for emergency vehicles and help keep the fire hydrant clear that are on their property by shoveling a three-foot section all the way around the hydrant.
“If we were to happen to have a fire during this weather there would be 8-10 fire trucks and we would need as much room as possible,” Reese said. “We just want the public to know if they have an emergency we will get to you it may just take longer than usual. Also once the major part of the storm hits please stay home. It keeps you in a safe place and our responders don’t have to go out and rescue you if you get stranded.”
St. Joseph Public Works has asked residents to remove their vehicles from village streets by midnight so they can keep the roads clear.
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