BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A week before what could garner the first snow response of the season, the City of Buffalo showed off five new snowmobiles, donated by Delaware North.
The new Emergency Services Manager and Fleet Manager were also paraded in front of cameras to answer questions.
Thomas Luby, the Emergency Services Manager, says he's hit the ground running.
7 News Anchor Ed Drantch asked if he had a response to this potential snowfall.
"With all due respect, I just started Monday. We are moving as fast as we can. We're communicating and talking with the various commissioners, trying to get a lay of the land and we'll go from there," Luby said.
Nate Marton, the Commissioner of Public Works, had to step in. He said city leaders have gone through several exercises to make sure they're prepared for storm response.
"Our team preparation ahead of this has been constant from last winter through the summer...the table-tops, the preparation, the equipment..." Marton said.
DRANTCH: Are you confident in your response at this point, with an emergency manager who is facilitating and overseeing all of this response?
MARTON: Certainly.
Luby says he'd be the person facilitating storm response, in the event of an emergency.
"There will be multiple conference calls and other informational sharing internally and externally with our partners, so everyone is on the same page," Luby said.
Luby was hired in response to last year's deadly December blizzard. The Buffalo Common Council wanted an Emergency Services Manager hired.
Mayor Byron Brown didn't think it was necessary but decided to hire one anyway, along with a Fleet Manager, James Cross, a position Brown thought would suffice. Each will make more than $100,000.
READ MORE: City of Buffalo announces the hire of new Emergency Services Manager and Fleet Manager
"We're going to look at the vehicles first. I want to get an accurate inventory of the vehicles that are in the City of Buffalo," Cross said. "Once I do that, I plan on looking at things that need to be replaced, looking at things that need to be bought and continuing the preventative maintenance schedule."
The snow plan, submitted by the City of Buffalo to the Common Council, has not been approved by city lawmakers. But Brown says it doesn't need to be. He says the snow plan is in effect now, regardless of approval status.
The city is expecting to add nine UTVs to its fleet. Three would be for the Buffalo Fire Department. Those are expected within the next two weeks. Six would be for the Buffalo Police Department and would be used all year long.
