School bus serves as warming station

While students are staying warm at home today, two Plainfield school buses were dispatched to the scene of a major fire west of town. Their purpose? To provide shelter from the wind and warmth to the firefighters and other first responders who have spent hours battling the stubborn blaze.

While many people speculated yesterday that buses wouldn't start in today's polar vortex, our Transportation staff actually takes excellent care to ensure that our buses are ready for whatever Mother Nature brings our way. 

The majority of Plainfield's buses run on diesel fuel, and cold temperatures make diesel thick and sluggish. To overcome that challenge, the buses are hooked up to engine heaters on cold nights, and they (nearly always) start without a bit of trouble when the drivers arrive.

On days like today, we are incredibly grateful to all who work outdoors, and in this case, especially the firefighters, EMTs and police officers fighting the blaze to our west. And we're pleased that, even in a small way, we could lend a hand.