The Saratoga Springs Fire Department responds to a variety of calls during the winter months.

Chimney fires, people falling through the ice on Saratoga Lake and accidents – both motor vehicle and people shoveling off roofs or out driveways – are just a few examples of winter-specific calls.

Fire Chief Robert Cogan said they treat all calls the same, but depending on the call, the number of firefighters dispatched varies.

Winter conditions not only affect traveling to work or school delays and closings, but how the department responds to calls.

Chief Robert Cogan said the firefighters have to adapt to the conditions and surroundings. He said snowy or slippery conditions don’t affect the overall response time for the department too much. He said traveling to the outer areas of the city usually takes eight to 10 minutes, so road conditions might add a minute.

He said some driveways are narrow which makes navigating to the house difficult, but again the firefighters adjust.

Cogan said they treat a structure fire the same during the winter as they do in any other season.

He said an aggressive interior attack is always their priority. He said each fire is unique, but they go in with the same game plan.

Assistant Chief John Betor said the bigger issue this time of year is visibility around snow banks.

“People edge out farther,” he said of snow banks.

Many of the side streets become much narrower once snow is on the ground, making it more difficult to navigate around the city.

Cogan said a normal city street varies in width, but some of the narrow streets are only about 20 feet wide. If you add in snow banks and cars trying to park, the streets are much smaller.

The Department of Public Works is in charge of clearing all the streets in the city and has a lot of roads to clear.

“If you can’t get to where you are going, we can’t help people,” Cogan said.

Cogan said he thinks the public works crews do a good job clearing the roads. Public works also has to clear all the fire hydrants out, so the fire department can access them. Cogan said

DPW’s No. 1 priority is clearing the roads, but if residents can shovel out hydrants around their home or in their neighborhood, that would be a benefit.

“It will save time, man power and possibly lives,” Cogan said.

He added that if there is a stretch of days of sub-zero weather, it makes it difficult to extract water from hydrants. Cogan said there are many calls when the water doesn’t come out, making the firefighters have to look until they find one that isn’t frozen.

Frozen pipes are a problem for home owners this time of year too, leading Cogan to let people know to leave them to the professionals. He said every year there is a call regarding someone trying to thaw pipes in a less than safe manner.

Cogan said it is important for families to keep fire detectors on each floor that someone resides on and now they are even asked to be put inside bedrooms.

Likewise, a carbon monoxide detector should be installed on each level, especially on the floor with the home’s heating source. He said home owners should pay attention to wood stoves and keep the detectors maintained.

He said the top of the stairs from the basement is an ideal location for one. He said it’s important to read the directions carefully when installing them too.

Cogan said a lot of carbon monoxide incidents occur in houses with attached garages.

“Never run a vehicle in an attached garage, even with the door open,” he said.

He said it gets sucked into the house. He said residents can call the fire department with any questions at 587-3599 or go to www.nfpa.org for more information and fire codes.

Cogan says snow doesn’t cause accidents; driving too fast for the conditions does. He said there are very few collisions that can’t be prevented.

“There are a lot of aggressive drivers out there these days,” he said. “People need to slow down.”

Cogan said the fire trucks – which weigh between 15 and 40 tons – do not exceed 60 mph and that the drivers drive for the conditions.

“You can’t get them going too fast,” Cogan said of the trucks. “The captains are pretty tuned in so they don’t exceed the safety conditions.”

Each year, all firefighters are trained in Emergency Vehicle Operations.

Betor said if the firefighters drove recklessly, the engines would have to be replaced more frequently.

Cogan said surprisingly some people don’t know what to do when the fire trucks approach them.

“Some people get caught up in their daily activities and are not paying attention,” Cogan said. “Other times, people panic.”

Cogan said in the past they actually had to get out of the truck and tell the driver of a car to pull their vehicle over.

“They see an ominous vehicle coming and get stuck in the middle of the road,” he said.

He said when people take their driver’s test, you are supposed to know to yield the right-of-way and pull over to the right.

Cogan said people have to be more aware of their surroundings too – whether it is winter or summer.  He said sometimes people won’t hear them coming.

The red light in front of the firehouse on Lake Avenue is another item residents have to be wary of.

Cogan said people get so used to seeing the light green, they run it when it is red.