Hood Today

B&G: What were major issues/problems caused by the recent snow storms?

Puller: The priority, as always, was the safety and security of our students, faculty and staff. The second objective is the protection of college property. The third mission, in this case, was to help others get their mission accomplished, such as clearing and removing the snow or enabling students to get around as needed.

This was an extraordinary weather event and Hood staff was extraordinary in their response. Our Facilities team led by Rick Kahley did a terrific job of clearing the campus. Don Miller of Student Activities worked tirelessly to keep students engaged on campus. Jimmy Haines was here from Conference Services happily taking on a lot of the hard work of operating equipment in challenging conditions, All our guys did a great job.

Our staff got the college ready and we could actually open for business - that is how good they were, but people could not get here. The blizzard immobilized the entire state, but we have over 660 resident students that we need to keep safe, warm, and well-fed, so we had extra challenges. For example Alan Dolid and the Dinning Services team more than rose to the occasion and kept the food coming.

Our Campus safety staff - many slept over to pitch in and do double duty. Some could not go home because of the road conditions.

Other challenges were keeping students active and engaged despite the dreary conditions, and Don Miller and Angie Bauman managed to find ways to keep students' spirits high.

This was the biggest snow event that I can remember and I think we did an outstanding job, but I have to say it all starts at the top and filters down. President Ron Volpe was amazing. Without his guidance, direction, and presence on campus, we may not have been up to the task. If there was something I overlooked, he mentioned it. If there was something I forgot, he remembered it.

One other thing, special thanks go to Dean White who was in contact with us the whole time, keeping an eye on our students and Chuck Mann, our new vice president of finance, who walked to campus everyday to monitor the campus as well.

B&G: Did you experience an event similar to this ever before?

Puller: I have and I have had organizational and operational responsibilities during snow storms as a police officer, police supervisor, and as a director of safety and security for a major urban hospital, but frankly, this event was the most challenging, but I had the best group of people I ever worked with to help me. The difference here is Hood's commitment to their student body. It may be a bit [of an] overused term now, but the college does in fact do whatever it takes for their students.

B&G: Do you know how many people worked to clear the campus during and after the storms?

Puller: The exact number, no. I do know we had to bring in contractors to help us. It was a mammoth task that needed to be done. We had a small army out there and Rick Kahley was their tactical commander. Terrific job.

B&G: Were there problems with getting people on campus to do the jobs that needed to be done?

Puller: Absolutely. A big challenge is getting people here to do the work. Many people simply could not dig out from their homes. They wanted to, but could not get here. We were lucky people were willing to sleep over or walk here.

We also tapped in our communication network - we called cell phones, sent Hood alerts, [and] e-mails, in order to maintain contact, redirect assignments, and deploy our resources as best we could.

So another special thanks go to Doreen Jarvis and our switch board team, Robin Tobery, and Mary Hogue, and Pat German, who came in and slept here the entire week.

B&G: Did anyone get hurt during the storm and its aftermath?

Puller: Miraculously, up to this point, no one went down in the line of duty. We dodged the ball on that one. Working in these conditions is hard - temperature changes fast, weather changes, conditions are unpredictable. You need to be skilled at what you do in order to get these necessary tasks done under such circumstances.

B&G: Who made the decision to close the school?

Puller: President Volpe makes the decision whether to close the school, delay classes, etc. Our mission in Campus Security is to provide him the best available information we can on which to base his decision.

B&G: Thank you so much for your time. If you have something else to add, please do so.

Puller: I am sure I forgot to mention someone by name, so please forgive me. Oh, the area coordinators, Tiffany, Thea, and Danielle, were instrumental and key players in our operation. And I want to thank our students too for their patience and understanding.
Our student body as a whole was great, I never received a single complaint about what we asked our students to do, whatever it was, from moving their cars to asking them to stay away from a certain area or what have you. Hood's a special place, no doubt about it. We have the leadership, staff, and students at this college to handle anything that comes our way.

Article Tools