The Public Safety Group Blog

On October 4, 1987, Albany, New York received 6.5 inches of heavy wet snow which brought down many large trees that still had most of their leaves. The weight of the ice on the trees took most of the trees and powerlines down.

For the better part of a week most of the power was out to over 200,000 homes in the community. As a firefighter-paramedic for the Colonie Fire Company, I responded to a call and finally got back to my home three days later. We went from call to call assisting on medical calls, falls, car wrecks, fire calls from sparking wires, lots of goodwill visits, assisting elderly residents relocated to the fire station and getting a few hours of sleep here and there. In upstate New York we were no stranger to piles of snow during the winter; however, this turned out to be the earliest snowfall on record in our area.

Read on to learn why it’s never too early to get your students prepared for winter storms.

Background and Snowfall Data

Officially a blizzard is defined by:

1. wind gusts over 35 miles per hour,
2. visibility of less than a quarter mile,
3. duration of at least 3 hours, and temperature below 20F (-7C).

Blizzards involve blowing or falling snow, and when there is heavy snowfall, they involve unique hazards such as:

• People stuck outside in their cars,
• Increased car crashes due to low visibility and slippery roads,
• People stuck on foot in near-zero visibility and accumulating snow trying to find shelter,
• Conditions that can lead to hypothermia,
• Frigid wind chills leading to frostbite,
• Trees and power lines down causing power outages,
• Dangers of improper generator use and increase CO poisoning risk,
• Heart attacks from overexertion.

Notable blizzards of the past 45 years include:

• The Cleveland Superbomb of January 25-27, 1978 - This storm dumped as much as three feet of snow and generated windchills as low as -50 degrees F. The storm was responsible for the deaths of 70 people and shut down infrastructure across the region.
• The Storm of the Century of March 12-13, 1993 - Extreme cold temperatures extended from Florida to Maine. Roofs collapsed, ships sank, and millions lost power. Every major airport on the East Coast shut down while portions of 15 states saw 20 inches of snow. The storm was responsible for the deaths of 270 people. This was America’s most costly storm until 2021.
• The Great Texas Freeze: Winter Storm Uri of February 13-17, 2021 - Freezing drizzle and rain followed by a winter storm led to a 9-day freezing streak in the state of Texas. The storm stretched from Northern Mexico to parts of Canada but its most serious impact was in Texas. The storm knocked out power for nearly 70% of Texans and disrupted water utilities. It resulted in an estimated $130 billion in financial losses to the state economy and there were 210 deaths attributable to the storm. Responders noted that there was ice everywhere and driving conditions were basically shut down. One collision in Fort Worth involved over 100 cars.

The top 10 annual snowfalls in the U.S. by state average in inches as of November 2022 include:

1. Vermont – 89.25 inches
2. Maine – 77.28 inches
3. New Hampshire – 71.44 inches
4. Colorado – 67.30 inches
5. Alaska – 64.30 inches
6. Michigan – 60.66 inches
7. New York – 55.32 inches
8. Massachusetts – 51.05 inches
9. Wyoming – 51 inches
10. Wisconsin – 45.79 inches

Five of these states (Colorado, Michigan, New York, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin) have considerable variance, due to their size, elevation, effect of the Great Lakes, and effect of coastal areas. For example:

• In Colorado, the mountainous western part of the state typically has twice the average snowfall of the flat eastern region (50 to 113.5 inches).
• In Michigan the upper peninsula’s average is 115 inches due to lake effect.
• In New York the southern coastal region (New York City and Long Island), average 30 inches while the northern and western regions have great lake (Ontario and Erie) effect snowstorms and elevation in the high peaks of the Adirondacks for an average of 126 inches.
• In Massachusetts, the Cape Cod coastal peninsula experiences an average of 23.8 inches yet the western half of the state gets 77.1 inches.
• In Wisconsin the lake effect is part of what gives the Midwest its reputation for difficult winters. In the east and southwest the average is 45 inches yet sections along Lake Superior average 97.7 inches.

These 10 states represent 51.6 million people, or about 1.5 percent of the total population of the United States, which is 333.3 million.

Prior to the winter storm, first responder agencies should:

Monitor the weather and coordinate preparations with emergency management and other emergency response agencies. Don’t wait for your city or town’s administration to declare a disaster.

Review equipment and supplies as EMS responders should be prepared for an increase in the number of calls involving: possible hypothermia, frostbite, exposures to carbon monoxide, house fires, car crashes, and heart attacks from overexertion.

First responder agencies should be prepared with extra staff to shovel your way into patient’s homes and clear out hydrants. Coordinate with other emergency services on the need for sheltering community members without power or water due to frozen pipes.

Rotate crews and allow rest and sleep breaks especially when the storm involves multiple days. Crews should keep an eye out for community members involved in dangerous activities and advise them on safer alternatives. Generators inside the home or too close to windows can vent carbon monoxide back into the home and be deadly. Cooking with propane should not be done inside the home at any point. Gas stovetops or ovens should not be used to try to heat the house. Every home should have a shoved exit. No one should run a car in a closed garage.

Remind your community members to check on their supply of flashlights and batteries, charge up their cell phones, and make sure they have emergency food and water for a few days. Advise community members to learn the locations of local shelters and what stations to listen to for emergency information and alerts. Review and instruct staff on the signs of hypothermia and frostbite. During a storm citizens should stay off the roads. If they must go out they should dress warmly in layers and wear a hat and gloves.

Help community members understand when they should seek a ride to a shelter (for example, if they are unable to stay warm in homes without power).

During the winter storm, first responders should:

Throw some snacks and extra layers of clothing in the ambulance in case staff members do not make it back to the station. Ask your staff a few questions, such as: Who clears the small roads in your community? Will you need additional or specialty response vehicle(s)? Be prepared for the possibility of carrying in limited equipment, blankets, and a Stokes down the street to the patient’s location if the side streets have not yet been plowed. What’s your agency’s standard operating procedure when it comes to keeping the ambulance running and locked while you are inside the residence? Consider backup communications, extra charged batteries, and a full tank of fuel, and be prepared to go out on a call and not return to your station for a long time.

After the winter storm, remind the community to:

Check again on neighbors. Pace themselves on snow removal (take breaks and stay warm and hydrated). Inspect their homes and property for damage and dangerous ice or snow buildup. Flat roofs may require snow removal to prevent a structure’s collapse. Shovel out the nearest fire hydrant and your walkway to the street.

Prepared and vigilant first responders will keep themselves safe and save more lives in their communities during the inevitable blizzards to come. 

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Bob Elling, MPA, Paramedic (retired) – has been a career paramedic, educator, author, and EMS advocate since 1975. He was a paramedic with the Town of Colonie EMS Department, Albany Times Union Center, and Whiteface Mountain Medical Services. He was also an Albany Medical Center Clinical Instructor assigned to the Hudson Valley Community College Paramedic Program. Bob has served as National/Regional Faculty for the AHA and involved in many successful life-saving legislative campaigns with the You’re the Cure Network. He also served as paramedic and lieutenant for New York City EMS, a paramedic program director, and the associate director of New York State EMS Bureau. He has authored hundreds of articles, videos, and textbooks to prepare EMS providers for their career. Bob is the ECSI Medical Editor for the CPR and First Aid Series and Co-Lead Editor of Nancy Caroline’s Emergency Care in the Streets.