CLARENCE, N.Y. (WKBW) — Members of Western New York snowmobile clubs who braved the elements rescuing stranded drivers during the Christmas blizzard have an ask in this year's state budget.
Club members were some of the few people who could maneuver through the massive amounts of snow that fell during the storm using snowmobiles and snowmobile trail groomers.
"It just goes over anything. I can go through 8, 10 foot drifts, and it's just like cutting butter," said Rich McNamara said of his snowmobile trail groomer. McNamara is a member of the Northern Erie Sno Seekers Snowmobile Club.
While they were able to rescue dozens of drivers, the club members say they could have done more with one piece of equipment.
They're asking for the money for two snowmobile groomer cabs to be added into the budget. The cabs sit on the back of the groomer and can carry up to 10 people - even a gurney. Right now the groomers can only carry two or three people.
The rescuers say the cabs would make it easier for them to get to more people, faster. McNamara rescued 41 people during the storm and helped get nurses, doctors and first responders to and from work. He says a lot of people had to wait because he could only take so many with him at a time.
"When I was picking up those 41 people - I'd pass someone and say I'll be back," he explained. "And that's scary for a person out there. Not knowing. When you couldn't see 2-3 feet in front of you."
The need to rescue stranded drivers along local streets is something some town officials say is happening more often these days because of the way the state handles storm prep and plans. About 250 people were stranded along Route 5 in the Newstead/Clarence area during the blizzard.
"Plans have changed on behalf of the Thruway Authority," explained Dan Kowalik, the Town of Newstead Emergency Management Coordinator. "Closing the thruway down is putting a burden on local emergency managers and smaller towns where the traffic is being pushed off the thruway."
Two cabs would cost about $200,000. Kowalik says the towns of Newstead and Clarence are working with the snowmobile clubs to coordinate where they would go, and how they would be staged in a storm. Initially, he says, the plan is to station one in northern Erie County and the other in southern Erie County, likely in the Town of Boston.
State Senator Patrick Gallivan honored the snowmobile clubs for their heroic efforts during the storm, and is pushing to have the money for the cabs included in this year's budget.
"The cost here is not that exorbitant," Gallivan said. "It's not like we're talking millions of millions or tens of millions of dollars." He went on to add about the efforts of the snowmobile club members, "They persisted. They were there from the very beginning until they were no longer needed. There's no doubt they saved lives."
It remains to be seen if the cabs will be part of this year's budget. State lawmakers now have a budget deadline of Monday, April 17th.
The people who worked throughout the blizzard to save lives say the cabs should be included because they provide an extra layer of security in a situation where every moment matters.
"Minutes could be a matter of life and death," explained Kowalik. "Moving these people that much faster is going to save them from the frigid temps they have and frostbite. Hypothermia."
The club members who spent their holiday out helping others say they'd happily do it again."
"I was out there rescuing - I didn't feel like I was rescuing," said McNamara. "After you get letters from parents, wives that you saved their family - it feels good."
