Postal Workers and First Responders Brave the Cold While Working Through the Storm

They say getting around should get better in the coming days

FARGO, N.D. — Lots of people had to work through the storm and are still working through the cold.

Postal carriers deliver mail in rain, sleet or snow, as the saying goes, and they were certainly out there during the blizzard and are braving the cold today.

While they weren’t able to make all the deliveries they would on a normal day, “our carriers are out there, they’re giving you everything they have. We’re delivering everywhere we can where we feel it’s safe as possible to deliver,” Greg Johnson, Fargo Postmaster, said.

They say over half of all mail is still being delivered on time, and that will get better in the coming days.

“Our carriers, they’re bundled warm, we’ll keep them as warm as we can with hand warmers, everything they have as far as equipment,” Johnson said.

Getting through the streets can be a challenge for everyone from deliverers to first responders.

“Those vehicles do ride low, and when you have this depth of snow, really get stuck pretty easy,” Johnson said.

F–M Ambulance says their response is typically nine minutes.While it might take longer in the snow, it isn’t too far off.

“By responding in low visibility it takes longer time to get to people. Also once we get to people, to get them packaged up, out of their home, into the ambulance and transported to the hospital,” Don Martin, communications manager for F-M Ambulance, said.

F–M Ambulance has chase vehicles with plows that they use during severe storms. They say they had to use them for half the calls they received last night.

“Our call volume was low which was nice. We did have enough calls to keep us busy throughout the night. It was a pretty steady 24 hour period,” Martin said.

They say they actually get more calls when it’s nice out. But no matter what the conditions, safety always comes first.

“We’re not asking for heroes out there, we’re just asking for them to deliver where it’s safe,” Johnson said.

Keeping your driveways and sidewalks shoveled is also of great help to workers and pedestrians who need access to your neighborhood.