The Dexter (Mich.) Area Fire Department is made up of hard-working volunteer and full-time firefighters, 75% of whom work on an on-call basis. If a big storm appeared without any warning, we'd have a hard time responding to all of the calls that would come in from fallen power lines or trees and fires as a result of the storm. The emergency response depends much on the advanced weather information we receive.

Originally, the department relied on weather information provided by the county's emergency operations center. However, because Dexter is located in the northern corner of Washtenaw County, many of the storms that crossed through the eastern part of the county would not affect our village. Other storms would reach us and the radar in EOC would miss them entirely, leaving us with little to no warning of approaching weather.

We realized the importance of having our own weather service. Since 2004, the department has been using the public safety version of MxVision WeatherSentry by Meteorlogix to monitor the exact time storms will hit our area and how long we will be affected. The department relies on this system to provide real-time, location-specific weather information.

Advanced warning

On June 1, I began my shift by checking the weather service for any updates such as potential thunderstorms, which are common during our region's summer months. At that time, we could see a storm forming near Chicago and moving toward southern Michigan. We watched it throughout the night, and it was clear from the alerts and intense red color on the radar screen that the storm was gaining strength. When the storm was about 30 minutes south of the area, we decided to activate our on-call members. When the storm hit, we had heavy rains and winds that intensified to 70mph.

Fortunately, no one was injured during the severe weather, but there was a significant cleanup effort. We generally receive three to four calls per day from residents needing assistance, but in the two hours following the storm we had 18 calls for service, including to a number of destroyed power lines and trees being struck down by lightning. On one occasion we had a roof come off a house because of the high winds. Overall, because of the advanced weather information, we were able to better prepare for this incident by staffing crews accordingly and minimizing safety risks to our residents.

Weather services help public safety officials and emergency professionals proactively prepare for severe weather. Lightning management tools alert professionals to the risk of lightning, the number of strikes in their area and the severity of the lightning. Monitoring specific locations by ZIP code allow us to receive forecasts for weather conditions in our community. These tools give the department an edge over standard weather information from other sources, such as radio and television reports or the Internet.

Accurate weather information is important in tracking a storm's progress and development and predicting the areas to be affected. But once the storm's path is established, it is important to keep updated on the strength and location of where the storm is heading. By monitoring the width of the storm, we can see its intensity and expected length of stay. Also, knowing the wind speed and from which direction it's coming can affect how quickly we control a fire. We strategically work with the weather conditions to control large brush and wildland fires and put them out as quickly as possible.

Maximized benefits

In addition to using the weather information for our fire department, other public departments benefit from the service. The Department of Public Works monitors weather information to make decisions for snow and ice management. The precipitation timer feature alerts professionals to the start and stop times for rain and snow events. It also identifies specific, pre-determined locations and alerts personnel to potentially severe weather. During the winter months, knowing how much snow has fallen overnight or during a snowstorm helps crew managers better plan for staffing and lets them brief crews on areas that may be the most urgent to clear, such as roadways, bridge overpasses and sidewalks.

The public school system also uses our weather radar to plan school schedules, such as when to cancel classes on days with inclement weather, to help keep our children safe.

Weather can be unpredictable, but having a reliable, up-to-date weather monitoring services allows public safety and emergency professionals to monitor significant weather changes and know when threatening weather is imminent. In the end, it allows us to know the future of the weather now.

Bryce McAllister is a lieutenant at the Dexter Area Fire Department. He has nearly 10 years of experience in the fire service.