Runway teams train ahead of first snow

AccuWeather

Ali Reid reported live from the tarmac at Philadelphia International Airport, where ground crews are actively preparing for the upcoming winter season through intensive training.

Transcript

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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