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On his way to work during Tuesday’s blizzard, Luzerne County 911 Executive Director Fred Rosencrans stopped to pick up a woman stranded on Route 29 in Hanover Township — a nurse also trying to get to her job.
Other 911 workers also stopped to help motorists stuck in the snow, including one in Swoyersville, he said.
Rounding up enough staffers to man the county’s emergency call center wasn’t a problem because the workers slept in the Hanover Township center on cots or were picked up by Rosencrans and a few of his colleagues.
Planning ahead, some of the 911 workers brought in crockpots loaded with food.
“It’s like a buffet,” Rosencrans said. “I’m very fortunate to have a phenomenal staff. I can’t emphasize that enough. The teamwork was amazing.”
County Manager C. David Pedri highlighted the work of Rosencrans and others in a release Tuesday stressing that not all county workers had a day off due to Tuesday’s courthouse closure.
“Dozens of county employees still reported to work to perform their jobs that are essential to the health, safety and welfare of county citizens,” Pedri said, adding that the county is “truly lucky” to have skilled and dedicated workers who left the “warmth and safety” of their homes to help others.
Some other examples, according to Pedri:
• Road and bridge staffers worked since late Monday to clear 127 miles of county roads and more than 300 county-owned bridges in addition to starting snow removal at county facilities.
The department also assisted the state transportation department by clearing Cross Valley Expressway ramps near the Wilkes-Barre General Hospital because emergency medical units were stuck.
• Sheriff deputies staffed county facilities, helped workers and were on call to aid the county Emergency Management Agency, National Guard and other law enforcement.
• County EMA was fully staffed and coordinated snow-related emergency issues for municipalities, hospitals and other high-risk facilities while remaining in contact with the state Emergency Management Agency and National Guard.
• Employees from building and grounds began coordination of snow removal, and the boiler plant was fully staffed to maintain and monitor heating for county facilities.
• The prison was staffed, and inmates had recreation time indoors due to safety concerns.
County Correctional Services Division Head Mark Rockovich said he encountered a “treacherous drive” traveling to Wilkes-Barre from his Hazleton area residence in his sedan Tuesday morning.
“I felt it was important for me to be there because I was mandating my workers to be there,” Rockovich said.
Some correctional officers were required to work a double shift, or 16 hours, to meet minimum manning requirements, he said.
Pedri said Wednesday’s opening time for the courthouse in Wilkes-Barre and other county facilities will hinge on the lifting of travel bans by municipalities.
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