OLDS — Town employees who work outdoors got through the holiday season cold snap by layering up, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t beset by weather-related problems, director of operations Scott Grieco says.
The temperature began dropping in late December and reached its coldest point on Dec. 27 when it hit a low of about –32 and a high of only around –28.
The temperature is expected to plunge sharply once again Wednesday, Jan. 5 to a low of about –32 and a high of about –28, before rebounding to a high of –4 and a low of around –8 by Jan. 13, according to The Weather Network.
About 20 public works employees work outdoors for the Town of Olds as needed, doing everything from salting or sanding and clearing snow on roads to clearing walkways and trails.
If a watermain break or sewer problem comes up, they deal with those too, although as of late December, Greico did not have any stats on any such issues. He joined the municipality's staff as director of operations this past November.
In an email, Greico said Town of Olds staff deal with extreme cold by wearing layers of clothing and taking frequent breaks to warm up.
Luckily, thanks to those precautions, Greico said none of those outside workers got sick or injured, due to the cold snap.
“Our staff is trained to be careful to respect slippery and cold conditions and use the appropriate clothing and (personal protective equipment) for winter weather," he wrote.
“The worst difficulty we have is when the temperature drops below the -30C mark. Everything wants to freeze up. You always need to be aware of issues with diesel and equipment in the extreme cold.
“Wind chill and blowing snow also present challenges, even after we clear a road or trail, snow drifting sometimes fills in right behind us.”
“One thing to note about the town operations staff is they really work hard and take a great pride in the services they provide. Often their efforts can go unnoticed."
