What Does Our Provider Do?

The Municipality of Anchorage (MoA) selects a service provider for us. Your LRSA Board provides guidance for the provider to service our roads all year.

What does the provider do, though, during a callout? To respond, we asked the co-owner of a service provider to write a log on a response to a wind storm in our LRSA. His comments follow:

"We checked on the Paine Road and King's Way situation and found that there were 2-3 cars at end of King's Way, south of Paine Road when the snow blower came through, preventing the blower from clearing the road. They are gone now, but it will be a little while before we get back up to that area with a blower.

1) 9 PM, saw weather pattern on Internet

2) 10 PM drove roads in the LRSA and found roads almost impassable with 50 mph+ gusts

3) Drove back to shop and prepared for dispatch of equipment.

4) Dispatched plow to clear lane for residents to get through.

5) 12 AM arrival of plow truck. Pulled drunk teenagers from ditch on Clark's Road. Told the drivers of another 6 vehicles that they should go home, but there was a gathering somewhere in the valley.

6) Started to plow a pass-through lane for Bear Valley residents.

7) Cleared Snow Bear to Honey Bear and found man in van (owner has a Bobcat) stuck and becoming hypothermic. Cleared a path and got him home.

8) Attempted to clear Black Bear Circle. Got stuck since snow was 3-4 ft wind-packed snow.

9) Got pulled out by another company driver (no cost to LRSA) and headed to King's Way, Brewster, Paine Road at LRSA's south end.

10) Attempt to clear Brewster's Road, but snow was already 3 ft deep.

11) Grader, snowblower, loader, arrival and chaining up by 1 AM.

12) Went to Paine Road and found probably-intoxicated young lady stuck in 3 ft wind drifts. She stated that she had called for help but that no one had responded. Path cleared sufficiently to reach her and pulled her vehicle to King's Way.

13) Snowblower arrival to help clear Paine Road.

14) Full "Heavy Operations" started.

15) Headed down to Newell and cleared road.

16) Fuel drop at bus turnaround for Blower refuel.

17) 9-10 AM grader/equipment work complete.

18) Drive through area 2:30 PM. Also retrieved fuel cans at bus turnaround."

This crew worked for 17-1/2 hours to keep our LRSA clear, and this is a usual amount of effort, although they have worked for more than 24 hours in severe conditions.