By Josh Nichols, Region Snow Manager
Every November, our teams participate in a snowdeo to comprehensively prepare for the upcoming snow season. Given the extensive nature of snow removal, some teams allocate a few days, while others dedicate a full day to cover all aspects. The snowdeo includes both classroom sessions and hands-on field training, organized into five main categories:
Safety
- Equipment
- Material
- Cold Weather
- Communication
- Customer
- Internal
- Service Partners
- Operational Planning & Execution
- Routing for each crew
- Record-keeping of time, materials used and site conditions, including photo documentation
- Equipment
- Proper usage
- Selection of the right equipment for specific areas
- Materials
- Product types and their effectiveness in different situations
- Application rates
Safety
Over the past five years, significant efforts have been invested in expanding our brine operations and mechanizing sidewalk removal. These specialized areas receive additional attention, with dedicated teams assigned to perform these operations.
Sidewalk Mechanization: We’ve integrated snowrators alongside traditional snow blowers and walk-behind brooms to support shovelers. As we’ve taken on larger sites and shifted contract types, these machines— performing the work of 4-5 personnel—greatly enhance efficiency. Proper training is essential for dedicated operators to maximize the effectiveness of snowrators in pre-treatments, clearing, and post-treatment applications.
Our goal is to utilize brine pretreatment and drop spreaders for post-storm treatments. Training during the snowdeos focus on the correct usage of machines and application rates for brine and granular treatments. Dedicated sidewalk brine teams employ snowrators to treat as many sites as possible before a snow event.
Brine Operations: We use truck-mounted units for parking lots and roadways, equipped with hose reels for sidewalks. The aim is to use these units primarily on parking lots, treating only small sidewalk areas to save the snowrator team from unnecessary visits. Brine trucks follow designated routes with estimated gallon requirements for each site. Applications are ideally done at night, but sometimes daytime application is necessary.
After completing the snowdeos, additional training opportunities are provided for crews before the first snow event. This allows newer members to gain extra experience, while seasoned team members can refresh their skills. Post-event debrief sessions are also emphasized, enabling teams to identify strengths and areas for improvement, contributing to continuous enhancement with each event. Now, we await to see if El Nino delivers the forecasted winter conditions!