Oklahoma City fire officials offer tips to prepare for storm season Share Updated: 6:08 PM CDT Apr 5, 2021 Share Updated: 6:08 PM CDT Apr 5, 2021
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Show Transcript IS PREPARED FOR WHEN THE NEXT STORM HITS. STORM SEASON IS HERE. THAT IS WHY THE OKLAHOMA CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT IS REMINDING EVERYONE TO BRUSH UP ON THEIR SAFETY PLANS. BE THINKING ABOUT WHAT YOU WILL DO. WHAT WILL YOU AND YOUR FAMILY DO THIS YEAR WHENEVER THERE IS A STORM? OF THE FIRST THINGS YOU SHOULD DO IS GET YOUR STORM SHELTER READY. DO YOU HAVE A STORM SHELTER? MAKE SURE YOU’RE GETTING THAT PREPARED. THIS WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO GO DOWN AND CLEAN THINGS OUT. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE FRESH BATTERIES AND A YOUR LIGHTS AND WEATHER RADIOS. ALSO, RESTOCK NONPERISHABLE FOOD AND WATER. ALL TORNADOES CAN BE THE MOST FRIGHTENING SEVERE WEATHER ISSUE WE HAVE, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT SAYS IT IS NOT THE ONE MOST PEOPLE WILL DEAL WITH. THEY SAY FLOODING IS A MUCH BIGGER ISSUE.
Multi-Vehicle Pileups in Oklahoma City Shut Down Interstate 40; Deadly Crash Closes I-35
The Weather Channel 2/8/2021 Ron Brackett
Icy roads led to at least two multi-vehicle pileups Monday morning in Oklahoma City as roadways around the city froze over.
A 15-car pileup happened at about 7:30 a.m. CST on Interstate 40 at Mustang Road, KOKH reported. A second, 25-vehicle pileup was reported about an hour later on Oklahoma City Boulevard, near I-40 and S. Agnew Avenue, KOKH said.
The second pileup involved an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper, the station reported. A KOKH reporter for the TV station said people were being taken from the crash on stretchers. KOCO reported that five people were injured, one critically.
Freezing drizzle moved across much of Oklahoma on Monday, causing vehicle crashes throughout the state, including a 29-car pileup near Interstate 40 and South Agnew Avenue that sent several people to the hospital.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported 130 injury crashes, 250 non-injury crashes and 115 motorist assists by 5 p.m.
Between 6 a.m. and 1 p.m., the Oklahoma City Fire Department responded to 51 vehicle accidents with injuries, with many crashes occurring on icy bridges and overpasses.
The 29-vehicle accident occurred around 8:11 a.m. Five people were transported to area hospitals by ambulance and several others were transported by private vehicles.
An Oklahoma man was rescued from a scrapyard after crews found him buried beneath thousands of pounds of metal, stuck inside of a mangled truck on Friday.
The Oklahoma City Fire Department will soon receive almost $500,000 worth of protective gear.
When firefighters are on the scene of a blaze, anything can happen. Without the gear, their crews can become vulnerable to injuries.
“The equipment is not cheap, but our personnel are certainly worth protecting,” OKCFD Battalion Chief Benny Fulkerson said. “People think that we just fight fires, but we do a lot of other things including responding with our law enforcement partners when it comes to an active shooter situation incident or a hostile situation.”
While the gear is pricey, Fulkerson can name several incidents where it would’ve helped them in the past.