Brad Wiser: More than two decades of service in road work

Brad Wiser works for the Jefferson City Streets Department.
Brad Wiser works for the Jefferson City Streets Department.

Brad Wiser, 53, is a senior street maintenance worker for the city.

He started working for the city in 1990; before that he worked for Cole County Public Works. He started his previous job in 1979. He and his wife live on a small farm, where they raise cows and horses.

On the average snow day, while kids are playing and people are trying to call their bosses to tell them their way to work is frozen, Wiser and his team are hard at it trying to keep traffic safe and moving. The rather large truck he drives is equipped with a plow and salt spreader.

"It is kind of a team effort, and everybody does their part," Wiser said. "At about the time the snow starts, they call you in. We meet at the shops and load all of our trucks and start on every route. Each person has a route that they run. ... (After) we go back around and make sure we don't have any slick spots anywhere and make sure everybody is getting around good."

Wiser and the crew work long hours when it snows. They pretty much work until it stops snowing and starts melting. These long hours often bleed into personal time with the family. For instance, on Super Bowl Sunday, while many were warm at home with drinks and snacks, Wiser and his team were out plowing the streets.

"Oh yeah, we missed about all of that," Wiser said. "The Super Bowl ain't as bad as missing Christmas or Thanksgiving. That is worse than anything. So everybody wishes for a white Christmas - everybody but us. We are the ones that have to come in and work. It looks nice, but it ain't so nice for us."

The International Tandem truck he drives slides and skids just like any other vehicle on the ice, he said. Sometimes they use tire chains, but that slows down the process. Also, the chains wear down quickly. He provided the following advice for other drivers in bad conditions: slow down, put down the phone and mind your surroundings.

When it is not snowing, Wiser and the other maintenance workers repair the roads, replace damaged guard rails and more, he said.

"There is a little bit of everything to do; there is always something. It is never ending."