Pittsburg State University
Physical Plant Department
Inclement Weather
Winter Storm Response Plan
Prepared
February 2010
Updated
March 2021
Pittsburg State University will use all available sources to predict and track winter storms. Local television weather forecasts, the Weather Channel on cable television, and satellite information available on the internet will all be monitored closely. When severe weather is forecasted, the University also receives notification bulletins from the National Weather Service. During the nighttime hours, University Police will closely monitor street conditions due to severe weather conditions (snow, ice and windstorms).
If weather conditions appear hazardous or dangerous, the patrol supervisor will contact the Vice President for Administration & Campus Life no later than 4:30 AM. to consult about current conditions of the city streets, campus streets, University parking lots and sidewalks. In preparation for recommendation to the President, the Vice President for Administration and Campus Life shall make an assessment of weather conditions, including snow removal, streets and sidewalks, hazards to students and employees traveling to and from the campus and the ability to provide energy. The most accurate and dependable source will be used to determine the University's response.
The Director of the Physical Plant Services and Grounds will direct and oversee the Department's response to winter storms. The Director will coordinate response plans with the CFO and Vice President of Administration, Landscape Maintenance supervisor and Custodial supervisor. Landscape Maintenance and Custodial supervisors will be responsible for the employees they are supervising during the winter storm response period.
When winter storms are predicted, the Director will notify appropriate supervisors who, in turn, will notify their employees of the possible severe weather and put them on standby for possible extended work hours or after hours call back.
If a winter storm occurs during normal hours of operations for the Physical Plant, all available equipment and employees will be deployed. Depending on the forecast of the strength and duration of the storm, the Director of the Physical Plant Services and Grounds may divide the Physical Plant work crews and send part of them home after their regular shift is completed to be called back on later shifts. The Landscape Maintenance supervisor may call employees in for earlier shifts and every effort will be made to evenly distribute the amount of hours worked among the available work force. We will ask for volunteers first and if we do not get volunteers than we will use our mandatory list to have employees come in to cover the early shift.
If a winter storm occurs after normal hours of operation for the University, the Physical Plant relies on information provided by University Police to activate the winter storm response. When roads, parking lots and sidewalks start to deteriorate during the night, University Police will call the CFO and Vice President of Administration and Director of Physical Plant Services and Grounds and give them the information at that time for us to determine to call out university personnel and private contractors. The severity of the storm will determine how many employees and contractors are to be called out before the start of the normal hours of operation.
The Governor has delegated to the President the responsibility and exclusive authority to make a Declaration of Inclement Weather for PSU because of severe weather conditions. When a Declaration is issued by the President, he/she has the responsibility and authority to maintain essential services and provide for the protection of resident students and University property. Each area administrator (Vice President, Dean, Director, Chairperson and Area Supervisor) must determine their staffing requirements to ensure the maintenance of essential programs and activities.
Pittsburg State University will be considered closed from the time of the Declaration announcement until the indicated time that the University will reopen.
Benefits-Eligible Employees who perform essential services are expected to report to work for their regular schedule, are called in early or continue to work their regular schedule in accordance with the supervisor's instructions. Some examples of essential services include maintenance of building operations, clearing of walkways, streets and parking lots, student resident hall services and public safety.
Benefits-Eligible Employees who do not perform essential services are not expected to report to work if the Declaration is issued before the start of their regular work schedule. They are expected to leave work as soon as possible when a Declaration is issued after they have reported to work.
If the President issues a Declaration of Inclement Weather, it is important that essential employees are able to perform their duties so that the campus can be reopened as soon as possible. Non-essential employees should leave campus when a Declaration of Inclement Weather is issued and not return until the University is reopened. This will ensure that essential employees responsible for clearing sidewalks, parking lots, streets and other University property have unobstructed access to these areas along with safety and efficiency in working the areas.
The CFO and Vice President for Administration will contact the President before 5:00 AM. to begin discussions regarding potential closure of the University. The President will seek additional input from the Provost and the Vice President of University Advancement.
By 5:30 AM. the President will make the decision to: a) Issue a Declaration of Inclement Weather and close the University, b) Keep the University open but cancel classes, or c) Keep the University open and classes in session. See Inclement Weather Policy for University Employees.
When a decision has been made, the President shall call the Director of Public Relations or a designee who will notify University constituents as follows:
Update the University's website.
Notify the news media (television and radio stations) in Pittsburg area.
Notify the President's Council.
Notify all sponsors of campus events. Notification will be sent in a timely fashion to media of changes in the University Calendar.
The CFO and Vice President for Administration shall notify the Crisis Management Director, The Director of Physical Plant Building Trades, the Director of Physical Plant Services and Grounds and the Manager of Telecommunication Services advising them of the decision that has been made. In consultation with these directors, the following actions will occur:
Notify students, faculty, and staff by e-mail.
Notify students, faculty and staff by text message.
Contact snow/ice removal contractors as necessary.
Schedule staffing levels as needed for clearing sidewalks, buildings steps, ramps etc.
Record appropriate inclement weather message on the President's Office and main University telephone numbers.
During normal working hours, the same procedures to decide whether to dismiss employees early or to cancel afternoon or evening classes will be followed. The President's Office together with the Vice Presidents shall be responsible for disseminating information to campus offices on weather emergencies through Mr. Bulk-E, the "RAVE" alert system and/or other established measures.
The Physical Plant will respond to all winter storms that take place during regular work day hours and after regular work hours. Priorities and work schedules will be set depending on the time and strength of the storm and what events are happening on campus during the storm. These priorities will have to be determined by information that we have such as schedules, calendars and information we get from departments.
The first priority for the Physical Plant and University Housing under typical circumstances is that the Landscape Maintenance, Custodial and Housing Maintenance departments will clear sidewalks, ramps and stoops to Gibson dining hall for on-campus student residents. At the same time they will also be clearing sidewalks, ramps and stoops at each campus building and sidewalks that lead to parking areas. The Landscape Maintenance department will also be clearing Crescent Drive west of Russ Hall. The Landscape Maintenance department, Custodial department and Housing Maintenance department will apply ice melt and/or salt/sand mixture prior to the storm if rain is not preceding the snow or ice storm. After they have cleared the snow, they also will apply ice melt and/or salt/sand mixture to areas that they have cleared.
If the storm happens before the work day begins, the outside contractors will begin clearing Lindburg and Cleveland streets and priority parking lots before employees come to campus. The City of Pittsburg is responsible for clearing Broadway, Joplin, Ford, Homer, Elm, and Locust streets. The parking lots to be cleared first by contractors will be the Grubbs lot, Gold lot, Lindburg lot east of the Physical Plant, Brown lot, Axe Library delivery dock, and Shirk lot for University Police and the KTC lot. Employees are encouraged to park in one of the priority parking lots after they have been cleared when showing up to campus that morning. This will allow safer more efficient snow clearing for Physical Plant and contractor personnel. If the streets and parking stalls have been cleared employees can park in the street parking stalls; if not please park in priority parking lots.
The second priority for parking lots will be the Student Recreation Center, Tyler Research Center, Weede, McPherson, Kelce, Alumni Center, Timmons Chapel, the delivery entrance drives to Gibson Dining Hall and Bryant Student Health Center.
The third priority for parking lots will be all the housing lots. Because of students parking in these lots it will be hard to clear these lots safely and efficiently. The Physical Plant and contractors will clear driving lanes in these lots to the best of their ability.
We will lose some parking stalls in the parking lots and on the street for piling the snow. Handicapped parking stalls and ramps will be cleared immediately. When the snow has been cleared in the priority lots and streets, the Physical Plant and contractors will start to remove the piles of snow with loaders and dump trucks. The Physical Plant will continue to clear and treat sidewalks during all these processes.
If the storm hits during regular working hours and the University remains open, the Physical Plant will clear sidewalks, ramps and building entrances. Parking lots and streets will not be safe to clear while cars are parked in those areas. If the Inclement Weather Policy is put into effect during regular working hours, non-essential personnel need to leave the University as soon as they can so the Physical Plant can begin administering the response plan efficiently for the re-opening of the University.
The Physical Plant is to pre-treat sidewalks and parking lots with a dry mixture of salt/sand and/or ice melt. The pretreatments are applied using spreaders mounted on gators and trucks. The Landscape Maintenance supervisor consults with the Director of Physical Plant Services and Grounds and various weather information systems before making the decision that pretreatment is necessary or advisable. Once a decision is made to pre-treat, a schedule is then established to ensure that areas get pretreated properly and timely.
The Landscape Maintenance department will be the employees first placed into service when responding to winter storms. Depending on the storm's strength and duration, this crew may be divided into two groups to provide early service to the University.
The Custodial department will also be responding early to clear building accesses such as stoops, stairs and ramps with brooms, shovels, snow blowers and ice melt.
Most of the University's snow removal equipment used in response to winter storms is under the control of the Landscape Maintenance Department of the Physical Plant. The use of equipment when responding to a winter storm will be at the direction of the Landscape Maintenance supervisor.