City Of Stamford Begins Preparing For Winter Season

Information via City of Stamford

STAMFORD, CT — Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons and the city's public safety officials conducted the first winter tabletop exercise of the season, according to a news release from the city.

"As we head into the winter season, it’s important to practice these tabletop exercises to ensure our public safety officials and key city departments are coordinated and equipped to handle severe winter weather," Simmons said in a news release.

Approximately 30 stakeholders participated, including members of the mayor’s cabinet, and department officials from public safety, health and welfare, operations, traffic engineering, facilities, and the board of education. The training was facilitated by Stamford Fire Chief and director of emergency management Trevor Roach, and public safety officer Kathy Ruther.

The training exercise was designed to stimulate a winter snowstorm that quickly evolves into a blizzard. The exercise focused on phases of emergency management including planning, response and recovery, the city said.

Additional focus areas covered in the exercise included emergency community messaging, incident command, national incident management system and unified command, as well as state and federal partnerships, and emergency shelters.

"Training and exercise contribute directly to strengthening the capability of the city of Stamford to respond to incidents," Roach added. "The adoption of a common approach to emergency management, including enhanced communication and best practices, drives the capabilities of Stamford’s Emergency Management Team."

The northern tier of U.S. states look to be in for a snowy winter, according to AccuWeather senior meteorologist Paul Pastelok, but snow shovels and snow blowers may not get as big a workout.

Read more on the winter forecast for Connecticut here.