Local News

Bend Fire Offers Icicle, Melting Snow Safety Tips

BEND, OR -- It may not look like it yet, but Spring is right around the corner, which means all this late-season this snow and ice is bound to thaw eventually. But the melting can bring new hazards, especially overhead. Bend Fire Battalion Chief Dave Howe wants everyone to be cautious, "Icicles that all of a sudden, because it's getting warmer, will just let go and fall. So you can just go out, thinking you're just going to head for your car, and if you get hit by an icicle, that'll cause serious damage." Those icicles aren't just trouble on your home, "There may be icicles on power lines, that may actually add enough weight to bring it down. So, that's another issue."

 

Howe says he's concerned about the several feet of snow sitting on some rooftops, as well. He tells KBND News, "As it gets warmer outside, the snow can completely, unexpectedly, 'flump' down and fall off the roof. And, if you're under it, that's going to be a rude shock, At least. It's kind of like an avalanche." And, as the snow melts, the water it leaves behind will have to go somewhere. Howe asks neighbors to be proactive about preventing flooding on their streets, "The storm drains are blocked with ice, so then it's going to make a pond on the street, and it's probably going to end up freezing at night. If we can get people to go out and dig out their storm drains, it's really going to be helpful."

 

And, he asks drivers to clear snow that's piled up on top of vehicles, so it doesn't slide off into the traffic behind, "We're a collection of cars and people and we're a moving community. And, as such, we need to take care of each other, and not create a hazard or situation where somebody in that community is going to get hurt."

 

Photo: courtesy Tori Maurer of Redmond

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