MOUNT VERNON — David Shaffer has been Knox County’s sheriff since 2013.
Since then, he’s had a saying around the office.
“I had an in-house thing that we’re never going to issue a Level 3 (snow emergency),” he said Tuesday with a chuckle.
Shaffer stuck to it for nine years. He issued Level 1 and Level 2 snow emergencies, but never Level 3, which closes all roadways to non-emergency personnel.
Then, last weekend happened.
“I kind of had to eat my words on that,” Shaffer said.
Shaffer issued his first Level 3 snow emergency on Friday, Dec. 23 at 7 p.m., at the height of a holiday-weekend storm that brought snow, relentless wind and 48 hours of sub-zero temperatures.
It marked Knox County’s first time at the state’s highest snow emergency classification in at least a decade, as Shaffer could not recall the last time it had occurred.
The emergency lasted until noon the next day.
“I hate to do that because I’m not wanting businesses to get shut down. We’re trying to give people the ability to make their own decisions as much as possible,” Shaffer said in a post-storm interview this week.
“And we recognize the east end of the county might be different than the west end, and Mount Vernon might be different than Apple Valley, in terms of road conditions. So that one-size-fits-all approach (with the entire county under a Level 3 snow emergency) probably doesn’t work, but that’s the only mechanism we have to do something. It’s countywide, that’s the way things are laid out.”
County sheriffs in Ohio have the authority to declare snow emergencies during severe winter weather events. State law gives these elected officials permission to temporarily close roadways within their jurisdiction “for the preservation of the public peace.”
Sheriffs may issue Level 1, 2 or 3 snow emergencies. Here is how the state describes each snow emergency classification:
LEVEL 1: Roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Roads may also be icy. Motorists are urged to drive very cautiously.
LEVEL 2: Roadways are hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Roads may also be very icy. Only those who feel it is necessary to drive should be out on the roads. Contact your employer to see if you should report to work. Motorists should use extreme caution.
LEVEL 3: All roadways are closed to non-emergency personnel. No one should be driving during these conditions unless it is absolutely necessary to travel or a personal emergency exists. All employees should contact their employer to see if they should report to work. Those traveling on the roads may subject themselves to arrest.
Shaffer’s decision followed similar ones from county sheriffs across central Ohio.
Morrow County Sheriff John Hinton declared a Level 3 snow emergency at noon last Friday, and Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp did the same at 5 p.m. Delaware County Sheriff Russell Martin issued a Level 3 snow emergency 30 minutes after Shaffer made his call.
“I was actually exchanging messages with another sheriff that is in the general area here, and he finally made the decision to (issue a) Level 3,” Shaffer recalled. “And after talking to our county highway department and looking at it, we went ahead and issued ours, too.”
Shaffer said he issued the Level 3 emergency in an effort to clear the roadways for plow crews.
“The purpose of the update is to allow plow crews to work with less interference,” Shaffer said in a Facebook post at the time. “They are not able to keep up with all roads and some areas are not passable. There does not look to be improvements before tomorrow morning. Deputies and road crews are still responding to stuck vehicles.”
The goal of the emergency declaration was not to arrest drivers, Shaffer explained. It was simply to encourage people to get off the roads, so the plow crews could work more efficiently.
“I totally get it. I hate to shut everything down. But this was one of those things (where) we were at the point of, ‘This is probably the best decision to make,'” Shaffer said.
“And I told my people, we’re definitely not looking to stop cars on the road just for driving. If somebody’s doing something stupid out there, we’re going to issue a citation, but the point is not to play ‘gotcha.’ Because I get it. People have jobs and things and they need to get places. They might have their own medical situations they’re attending to. And we’re certainly not trying to limit that at all.”
The decision was not an easy one to make, Shaffer said. But data from the Knox County 911 dispatch center and insight from local officials on the ground that day indicate it paid off.
Between midnight Thursday and 7 p.m. Friday, in the hours leading up to the Level 3 emergency declaration, the dispatch center fielded 31 traffic-related calls (this includes injury and non-injury calls, as well as calls for disabled vehicles).
The dispatch center fielded 14 traffic-related calls between 7 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday, during the course of the Level 3 emergency.
“I definitely think the response went very well. I think the sheriff going ahead and calling the Level 3 (snow emergency), so that road crews could get out there and take care of the roads and everything, I think that was a great idea on his part,” Knox County 911 Operations Director Laura Webster said.
“When you have that normal flow of traffic, or at least a somewhat normal flow, it is hard for plow crews to get out there and do their job. And it was a holiday weekend, so I’m sure people were trying to do last-minute things. But I think calling that Level 3 emergency was definitely a very good idea, and that’s what helped those road crews get out.”
Knox County Sheriff David Shaffer issued the following snow emergency declarations during last weekend’s holiday cold snap:
Friday, December 23
2 a.m.: Level 1 snow emergency
6 a.m.: Level 2 snow emergency … “Plow crews are out doing what they can,” Shaffer wrote on Facebook. “The high winds are creating some visibility problems in open areas.”
7 p.m.: Level 3 snow emergency … “The purpose of the update is to allow plow crews to work with less interference,” Shaffer wrote. “They are not able to keep up with all roads and some areas are not passable. There does not look to be improvements before tomorrow morning. Deputies and road crews are still responding to stuck vehicles.”
Saturday, December 24
12 p.m.: Level 2 snow emergency … “Although some major roads and areas in Mount Vernon and the villages are cleared, there are many secondary and rural roads that are still heavily drifted and some are still impassable,” Shaffer wrote. “Winds are expected to cause issues in outlying areas throughout the day and evening.”
Monday, December 26
7 a.m.: Level 1 snow emergency … “There are still areas of snow and ice covered roadways,” Shaffer wrote.
Tuesday, December 27
12 p.m.: All snow emergencies cleared
Mike Simon, an assistant highway superintendent for the Knox County Highway Department, said the move freed local crews up to handle the roads.
“The Level 3 snow emergency was helpful to us,” Simon said. “With the blowing and drifting conditions, many roads were down to one lane or less in places, and by having less vehicles on the roads we had less traffic to deal with and less vehicles stuck in snow drifts or ditches that we had to work around.”
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office did not issue any citations for driving during the Level 3 snow emergency, Shaffer said.
“Our people may have issued some failure-to-control citations out of crashes,” he clarified, “but nothing for (driving during the emergency).”
KNOX COUNTY SURVIVES THE STORM: The weekend was not an easy one for first responders.
From 12 a.m. Friday through 12 a.m. Monday, the Knox County 911 dispatch center fielded more than 60 traffic-related calls, Webster said. The weekend before, during that same time span, dispatchers fielded four traffic-related calls.
“The amount of disabled vehicles that we had was definitely more than usual,” Webster said. “That was just due to people being stuck, or sliding off the road into a ditch.”
There were also more than 100 calls placed for fire and/or emergency medical services during this time. First responders in all corners of the county braved the conditions to take care of their neighbors.
“I think the response from our first responders was great. I didn’t hear any issues,” Webster said. “The roads weren’t great for them either, but they did it.”
James DeChant, the incoming Knox County Emergency Management Agency director, said no county residents were killed or seriously injured as a result of the weather event.
There were “only a few” power outages in the area, DeChant said, and wait times for power restoration in those cases topped out at 3-4 hours.
“Some of the groups running the warming centers stepped up and went ahead and opened on their own, but we didn’t call and request any to do so. …” DeChant said. “That was helpful.”
DeChant, Shaffer and Webster all deemed Knox County’s storm response over the weekend a success. They said communication between local agencies and the public before, during and after the weather event played a crucial role in the response.
“I think, as a whole, the county did a good job,” Shaffer said. “I think that there was so much pre-advanced warning that a lot of people were set up for the potential of power outages or extreme cold weather. I know even at my house, we had generators out and fuel out. Everything was pretty set.
“We had enough advanced warning and knowledge of this that people were prepared, and that limited the amount of emergency calls that came in as far as people not having supplies. I think our preparation was good.”
