Rockland County crews are preparing to take care of the roads as winter weather hits the area. 

Michael Fray is one of the newer faces at the Rockland County Highway Department's "Snow School."

It's a yearly crash course that spends hours going over safety, best practices and the ins and outs of their trucks.

"You learn so much that you don't realize what you've been learning until you actually get into the vehicle," says Fray.

Superintendent of Highways Charles "Skip" Vezzetti says there are seven new workers on the job this year.

His department is responsible for more than 175 miles of roadway in Rockland.

"We have to keep them open for the ambulances, the police, the fire departments. Most people use them to get to our major arteries, are the Thruway and the parkway. So they use our roads to get there," says Vezzetti.

While the crew had a refresher course Tuesday, Fray offers one lesson for viewers at home.

"If you can't make it up the hill, don't even try. That's the best I can tell you, because all you're going to do is create more of a problem or more of an accident. And if you are in an accident, stay in your vehicle until help arrives," he says.