CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Following a storm that dumped loads of heavy, wet snow, the Colorado National Guard was working Friday to support local agencies.
A verbal executive order from Gov. John Hickenlooper activated the National Guard members, who are in snow-response teams (SRTs).
Each snow response team consists of eight crewmembers and two small unit support vehicles. The SRTs have been dispatched to Douglas, Larimer and Weld counties.
"The Colorado National Guard is eager to help support our communities," said U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael A. Loh, the state adjutant general. "We've planned and trained for this kind of mission so that we're always ready to assist our community when called on by civil authorities."
The Snow Response Teams were developed in 1998 in response to Colorado blizzards, as a quick response capability to get much-needed help to local communities. Equipped with the M973A1 Small Unit Support Vehicles, similar to a snow cat, it is fully tracked and designed to haul both cargo and passengers.
The SRTs are able to traverse nearly any terrain, including water. The SUSV has a front and rear cab that can comfortably seat 11 passengers, in addition to three crewmembers. Its all-rubber tracks enable the SRT to support civil authorities during emergency relief efforts during floods, fires, blizzards, tornadoes and a variety of other disasters, both natural and manmade. The SUSV is diesel engine-driven, so it has normal emissions.