ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, ILL. -- (Jan. 7, 2014) While winter weather is nothing new in the Quad Cities, the responding to the extreme cold of the Polar Vortex invasion provided some extra work for Rock Island Arsenal the week of Jan. 6.
"We had to manage a lot of water issues," said Scott Bach, chief of grounds and maintenance for the Arsenal. "We lost some sprinkler heads (to freezing). Rock Island Integrated Services, our base-operations contractor did an excellent job of keeping the roads clean."
Bach said the danger areas were places where cold could gain access to pipes.
"When it gets this cold, you don't have a lot of time to react," he said. "The areas were sprinkler systems get near the edge of a building's envelope can get cold enough to freeze."
Matt Barden, chief of plans and operations for Rock Island Arsenal, said the installation does a great deal of advance planning for all sorts of weather.
"We're one of 20 installations who have received a StormReady designation from the National Weather Service," Barden said.
He said the Arsenal works to keep its employees fully informed of weather events and their operational impacts. "We maintain an internet page (www.ria.army.mil/sites/inclement_weather/dsp_main.cfm) that allows employees to check on the operational impact on their individual commands or organizations on Arsenal Island. If one commands is opening later because of slick roads, employees can find that out before they head to work.
Barden said the Arsenal also puts out weather-related information campaigns. "We put together a winter-driving campaign where we worked with the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Auto Crafts Shop to offer free winter vehicle inspections."
He said the arsenal also issues weather information from the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center.
"We also work with our partners in the surrounding cities," he said. "We know the snow emergency procedures for Davenport and Rock Island We coordinate with their public works departments."
Bach and Barden said there was little day-to-day change in operations as a result of the extreme cold.
Bach called the response "business as usual." "We have some issues on bridge operations where we use a calcium chloride deicer, but we haven't had any large operational impacts."
"We haven't had any mission shutdown," Barden said, "That's probably due to the resiliency of people here in the Midwest."
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