25 MPH

I have been driving an average speed of 25mph since Thursday evening.  Why?  Well, Boise got what I am calling the Snowstorm from Hell!

Mother Nature is cruel.  In about 24 hours we were dumped with snow.  I shoved our driveway and sidewalk as well as my neighbor’s driveway and sidewalk a total of three times in that 24 hour period.  My snow-shoveling-muscles are sore.  But, I earned some APs and I even logged 11,000 steps on Friday alone.  Nothing like forced activity eh?

 

The US National Weather Service in Boise reported 7.6 inches of snowfall which is the most all-time for November.  Wow.  That is pretty rare for Boise.  We are sort of in a hole and while other parts of the state get a good amount of snowfall, Boise usually does not.

 

 

When I accepted a job as a police dispatcher I knew it would include working shift-work including nights, weekends, and holidays.  The one thing I didn’t consider at that time was that it also meant when the general public is encouraged to stay home and not venture out on the roadways that I still have to get to work.

My job is an important one.  When the public needs help they call the police.  When a road is closed due to slick conditions the police still have to drive into the road closure and rescue anybody that is stuck. If there was not a dispatcher to answer the call for service there wouldn’t be a police officer to respond.  I am lucky in that I get to be inside a warm safe building unlike my troopers who have to be out in the cold elements.  I worry for their safety and luckily we have not had any major issues in the past few years.

I am fully aware of how the snow and ice can impact drivers arriving safely to their destination.  So in the meantime I’ll continue to drive my 25mph and let those other drivers speed past me.  I guess they are hoping they will meet up with a State Trooper somewhere further down the road.  Maybe I’ll even be working that day to take their call.  You never know.

Be safe this winter season.  Allow yourself extra time to get to your destination.  Remember to slow your speed and increase your stopping distance.  Sometimes we have to drive on the defensive to make sure everybody gets home safely.