BUffalo snow storm

A South Buffalo street is littered with abandoned vehicles and snow at the intersection of Tifft Street and South Park Avenue on November 20, 2014. Impossible to drive even with four wheel drive vehicles, snowmobiles in some cases substituted for ambulances during a lake effect snow storm that brought close to 8 feet of snow in three days. (Photo by Aaron Mclane)

Snow-covered streets remind 1st responder of hit TV show, with snow.

Published Nov. 21, 2014
By Peter Borys
914th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

NIAGARA FALLS AIR RESERVE STATION, N.Y.- -- When a call came out for snowmobilers to assist in the storm Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station Deputy Fire Chief Aaron McLane was quick to respond.

On Tuesday November 18, Day 1 of the storm Buffalo and surrounding area streets were covered with several feet of snow, ambulances could not respond to medical emergencies throughout Erie County.

The county requested help from emergency responders with snowmobiles. Chief McLane was assigned to a task force of eight snowmobiles and four EMT's, operating out of Buffalo Fire Department's Station 6, which is located in South Buffalo.

"We would transport our EMT to various medical emergencies throughout a five square mile area. The emergencies ran the full spectrum of problems, from anxiety to cold exposure to heart attacks. If needed, we would take the patient on our snowmobiles to the closest open road that an ambulance could drive on, and deliver our patient," said McLane.

"I've worked several natural disasters...floods, tornados, earthquakes, and typhoons...but I've never seen anything like this. He added, "Riding my snowmobile down the streets of South Buffalo, working my way around all the abandoned cars and trucks, dodging people walking down the same streets; it was like watching "The Walking Dead" on TV...but with snow."