A short, excellent article from The Stamford Advocate on how this season’s heavy snow fall has impacted  building owners, property managers, human resources and snow service providers in the Fairfield and Westchester area—Many thanks to Marcus Partners for the shout out.

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/default/article/Office-building-owners-managers-battle-winter-5271432.php

As we begin February, property managers and facility directors of commercial properties in Westchester and Fairfield counties are beginning to grow a bit weary of the winter of 2013/2014.  This season has been an active one with many storms and near record cold temperatures.  The unseasonably low temperatures have driven up the materials usage needed to deliver clean pavements (see blog Cold, Colder, Coldest).  And, for those in the per storm/per inch contracts, costs are continuing to climb.

There is no crystal ball to predict the long term weather pattern, but with 6-8 weeks of the snow season left, no doubt we are in for a least a few more events.  If the snow continues, what possible avenues can be considered to help hold or reduce cost?

Review your site usage, is there a remote parking area or portion thereof, which can either be closed to parking, or plowed just once at the end of the event?  Could some unused walkways be reduced to end of storm, or emergency exit only treatment?  Is there a side entry plaza or outdoor patio area which is used by a few people which could be downsized in coverage?

After your initial review, schedule a meeting with your snow services provider.  He knows your site throughout all conditions, day and night.  With an active exchange of ideas and recommendations from both parties, perhaps a more budget feasible approach can be developed.

The countdown has begun for the big game, the Super Bowl.  Broncos, Seahawks. This is the game which nearly everyone watches or at least participates.  For some it’s the football, others it’s the wings or chili at halftime and for others it’s the commercials.  For most, it’s a great time to get together with family and friends in the middle of winter.

This year’s game brings a unique potential storyline to it-what if it snows? What if it really starts coming down a few hours before the game as all those buses, limos and cars are headed to MetLife Stadium? Not good!  Imagine being one of those individuals or corporations who secured a super box for upwards of a million dollars, in a standstill, somewhere outside the stadium at kick off time.

Just like the offenses and defenses in the game, no doubt, for the snow removal team, extensive planning has taken place.  Every loader, pusher, plow truck and snow shoveler has a coverage zone, where to start, where to finish.  Entries/exits have been prioritized.  Handicap parking has a precedence.  Communication protocols for each zone leader have been dialed in.  De-icing materials (more than enough) have been stockpiled. Contingency plans (what if it’s a significant storm?) have been brainstormed and put in place.

Does your site, facility or campus have a documented snow plan?  What areas are priority one-constant clean?  Is there a slope or hill on your site which can quickly become dangerous?  Are there areas which just need to be safe and passable?  Is there a front door which only a few people use and secondary entry which many use?  What about all those emergency exits?

The best snow service providers work closely with facility directors, property managers and building owners to develop and document a snow plan/game plan.  The plan is critical to how we roll out the equipment, manpower and supervision to accomplish site safety and mitigate your risk in a consistent and cost competitive fashion.

In football and in snow removal, the winning team will be the one who prepares and executes a great plan.

Here in Westchester and Fairfield County, we are experiencing an exceptionally cold spell, even for southern New England.  Everyone is adding that extra layer before going outside.  It seems like the car takes forever to warm up and the furnace won’t stop running.  When the news media and meteorologists introduce the term “Polar Vortex”, you know it’s cold!

It’s all about a 30 degree swing.  Which is not so bad when temps go from 80 to 50, but when temps drop from 25-30 (average for us around here) to 0 and below, it changes how property managers, facility directors plan for and operate their facilities, and snow removal service providers change their methods to achieve site safety.

When the temperatures are in the 0 range, it is a real game changer for snow removal.  The snow removal aspect does not change greatly.  Most important, is keeping the manpower warmed and moving through the event.  The big change comes in material usage, especially salt and salt products.

Think back to high school chemistry experiments where heat was an important part of obtaining the results.  In snow removal at these temps, it is the lack of heat and severe cold which impacts the desired reaction — melted snow and ice.  The table below shows how the extreme temperature dips require a multiple of the salt material needed which the average storm consumes to achieve clean, safe pavement conditions.

While southern New England does not get many snow storms in the 0 degree range, when they do arrive like these past few in late December and early January, you can see why they require nearly four times the material required in a 25 degree event.  ELM utilizes treated salt which does quicken the activation time some; however the severe cold still requires a multiplier of 2-3 times the typical usage rate.

Everyone has welcomed the recent warm-up.  However, when temperatures dive to near zero, informed snow fighters will be adjusting their application rates to ensure timely site safety and mitigate the risk so inherent in snow removal services.