All hands on deck approach to the first predicted snow fall

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee(WDEF) – As Chattanooga and the surrounding areas prepares for the first predicted snow of the season on Wednesday, various departments have already sprung into action.

According to TDOT spokesperson Jennifer Flynn, crews were already prepping the interstates as early as Tuesday morning.

"Our crews were out brining today. They were brining the interstate and the state routes on Lookout Mountain and Signal Mountain, Flynn said.

More than 100 TDOT trucks and personnel are prepped and ready for what ever Mother Nature decides to do, but TDOT isn’t the only department prepared to deal with a snow event. Chattanooga Public Works has also sprung into action.

"We started making brine first thing this morning. We’ve had eight trucks out on the road all day today, covering the high grounds, bridges, over-passes," said Chattanooga Public Works Director Lee Norris.

Hamilton County EMS also has a plan in place with an all hands on deck approach.

"That protocol covers everything from the type of hospitals we transport to as far as locations; they type of transports we’re going to make; what additional resources we’re going to need as far as man power," said EMS Director Ken Wilkerson.

It’s unclear if any of the precipitation will freeze long enough to cause power outages from downed power lines. Should that happen, every EPB crew is on standby; especially in the higher elevations.

"If road conditions deteriorate as is expected by forecast tomorrow morning and noon, we’ll already have crews in place there that can hit the spots pretty quickly should we have any outages," said EPB spokesperson John Pless.

Hopefully, the season’s first snow will come and go with very little effect on road conditions and power utilities.