With 170 inches of snowfall in an average year, Lead, South Dakota, is one of the snowiest places in the country. A historic mining community nestled in the stunning Black Hills, Lead must maximize its wintertime resources just to keep the roads clear. In a place like Lead, if the snow isn’t plowed, First Responders’ ability to quickly get to accident scenes is seriously hindered.

It takes dedicated professionals to keep the streets open and safe for everyone in this community. Road crews armed with front-end loaders, gigantic road graders fixed with massive snowplows and dump trucks all work in perfect coordination to clear accumulations.

Emergency services workers in Lead agree that, during heavy winter and spring snows, cooperation between all city departments is critical to reach the stranded, broken-down and injured. In fact, there have even been cases where police and paramedics follow plows (or even hitch rides) right to the scene of a crash.

Similarly, it takes exacting coordination between OnStar Emergency Advisors* and local public safety professionals to help keep Members safe 24/7, no matter where they live. Watch below to see how the tireless city workers and first responders of Lead have their community’s back, just like the team at OnStar has yours.