(WXYZ) — Macomb County gave a tour of its communication and emergency response center. Officials say it's the largest center of its kind in the Midwest.
Dispatchers have access to 270 road cameras, which will come in handy this weekend as they watch for severe weather.
"We know there's severe weather alerts that are happening right now in and around the state. In Macomb County, we're prepared to handle any kind of issue that might come our way," Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel said.
He said the command center is staffed 24/7. Dispatchers watch the roads in real time and deploy police, fire, emergency medical services or plows as needed.
Tow services are also part of that response. Tow truck driver Chris Curtis said he's gotten that call for service from local police departments hundreds of times over the past two decades.
“Anytime there's harsh weather conditions or the roadways are going to be slick or icy, it's just never a good idea to travel," Curtis said.
Curtis, who drives for Ruehle’s Towing, said it's the same song and dance with collisions and slide-offs. However, county officials say those mishaps can be prevented if you don't have to be in the elements.
Brandon Lewis, the county's director of emergency management & communications said, “... stay home. We’re going to see conditions that we generally don’t see in Southeast Michigan. It’s going to be a mix of things."
He added, "We’re looking at 3 to 7 inches of snow. We’re looking at sustained winds of 25 to 30 miles an hour. Gusts up to 50 miles an hour. Those are blizzard conditions.”
Road crews are laying brine as a pre-treatment and, of course, will pour salt.
7 Action News also checked in with Wayne County, which has been preparing all week long.
“We’ve been making sure that our equipment was ready to go. Our salt domes… we had our salt domes filled up as much as we could get in there and have plenty of supply. We’ve been working with our staff to make sure all the trucks are prepped," Andrew Kandrevas, Wayne County's director of public services, said.
Hackel said, "If you don't need to go out, don't go out."
He added, "If you are out there, you need to be patient and tolerant and understand the conditions are different than normal."
