00:00travel winter is just around the corner and while most of the northeast hasn't seen the snow fall
00:04just yet crews at the philadelphia international airport are ready gearing up for what is the first
00:10storm yeah and our ally reese live this morning at phl well the lookout teams are preparing to
00:16keep runways clear passengers safe when the snow starts to fall and boy i'll tell you what if i've
00:21learned not only the snow but when it's cold enough for de-icing that can really slow things
00:27down good morning ali good morning bernie and melissa and we're not just live from philadelphia
00:34international airport we're live from the tarmac here at phl really exciting stuff it was only about
00:40a week and a half ago where the pavement and grounds crew really had an opportunity to train a number
00:45of the operators here to get behind the snow removal equipment before the season even starts and that is
00:51incredibly important they say you know last time they were able to operate that equipment was a year
00:56ago for this season so it's a good opportunity to really get a refresher for them before that season
01:02kicks off so no snow just yet it feels beautiful out here in philadelphia this morning but all good
01:09things before the winter that cold weather really starts to drop here now i want to take to some video
01:15this is really interesting they actually do their training past midnight so the video you're going to
01:20see is pretty dark right now it's all part of that detailed winter preparation plan that starts long
01:25before the snow arrives each year philadelphia international airport's operations department
01:30teams up with pavement and grounds to train staff responsible for clearing runways and taxiways when
01:36winter weather hits crews spend time in the classroom first reviewing safety procedures then take that
01:42knowledge out to the airfield at night when runways aren't as busy that's when operators get behind
01:47the wheel practicing how to maneuver enormous plows and blowers across the tarmac sometimes in total
01:53darkness like you're seeing right now that's to simulate the toughest conditions they'll face
01:58during a real storm and that's exactly why they train after dark so when snow starts falling they're
02:04ready for anything if you could kind of master seeing it at nighttime then in the daytime it will be
02:10you know much easier and it's less traffic out there we want to alleviate any chance of any mistakes
02:17or any malfunction is happening because these pieces actually keep the airport open no matter what the
02:23weather condition is and it's best that our operators know how to operate them at maximum capacity
02:28these trainings happen in the weeks leading up to winter giving every operator a chance to get
02:35comfortable before the cold even sets in once snow is in the forecast operations and maintenance teams
02:41begin monitoring the weather closely using pavement sensors to track surface temperatures and determine the
02:46perfect time to roll out equipment by the time the snow starts falling phl crews are already on standby
02:53ready to work around the clock to keep runways clear and flights moving safety we bring you back live to
02:59philadelphia international airport guys this is so important to know there's probably a chance where
03:04you have gotten in a plane when there's been snow or ice i'm sure you've seen when you've looked out the
03:10window it is a full-on operation maybe you have maybe you haven't but these guys are fully trained
03:15trained they know what they're doing and the one thing that i loved hearing guys is that when they
03:20do these safety operations they say pretend as if it's your family member that's on that flight i think
03:26that's so incredibly important what they're doing is they know that they're looking out for anyone and
03:31everyone that is on that plane and ultimately guys that plane is not taking off unless what they do on
03:36the ground is fully prepared and operational first to get up in the sky all right thank you ali reed for
03:43that uh great to hear that they take it so seriously yeah and you know you don't even think
03:47about it you just assume everything is fine a lot of work gets into that and we certainly salute them
03:52the airline industry very important
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