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Planning, preparation precede snowstorms
  
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By Tom Munds
Englewood’s street division puts a well-established preparation plan into action whenever a snowstorm threatens the city
Preparations began at least two days before the Oct. 27-29 snowstorm arrived in Englewood.
“When the winter storm warning was issued, crews mounted the sanders on our five dump trucks and made sure they operational,” said Brad Hagan, street administrator. “Even before that, the mechanics overhauled all our snowplows and made sure they were operational and ready to attach to the truck. It only takes about five minutes per truck to attach the plows. So, to save fuel, we usually wait until we are sure we are going to be plow streets before attaching the blades.”
There are five trucks equipped with sanders and plows. One is held in reserve in case one of the trucks experiences mechanical trouble or if a fifth truck is needed to keep the roads clear.
Hagan said the nine drivers can operate the the sanders and plows. All of them are on alert when the weather threatens. When the snow begins to fall steadily, four drivers are called in for a 12-hour shift. When the shift is over, four other drivers take over so the trucks are out on the streets constantly.
Hagan said it is a plus that all his operators are very experienced with plowing and sanding streets. They also are familiar with the 12-hour shift system.
The sanding and plowing is done according to the city’s snow-removal plan. Hagan explained the first priority is the streets around the hospitals, fire stations and schools plus Broadway and the main thoroughfares. The second level is the other busy streets and the final category is residential streets.
When the snow begins to fall and cover the street, the sanders hit the road. Each of the trucks are equipped with computer-controlled equipment that spreads the salt-sand mixture at the same rate no matter the speed of the vehicle.
Hagan said each truck can hold eight tons of the salt-sand mixture. A truck is assigned to sand about a quarter of the main thoroughfares. Typically, a truck will take about six hours or less to treat the assigned streets. The amount of mixture put down depends on the road conditions and typically, a truck will use three to six loads of the sand-salt mixture in the six hours it takes to treat the assigned streets.
The initial assignment is to plow and sand the roads. If enough snow falls to block the parking lanes in the business district, front-end loaders will begin scooping up the snow, dumping it into trucks to clear the lanes.
Generally, the snow is piled in unused areas such as the Pirates Cove parking lot until the sun melts it.
Hagan has been with the street department for 35 years and said the process to deal with snow on the streets has changed over those years.
He said improved equipment and technology has made it possible to treat the streets more effectively.
“When I first came to work here, we used graders to move the snow,” he said. “In the early 1980s, the city bought the snowplow systems that mount on the same trucks we used to sand the road.”
Preparations began at least two days before the Oct. 27-29 snowstorm arrived in Englewood.
“When the winter storm warning was issued, crews mounted the sanders on our five dump trucks and made sure they operational,” said Brad Hagan, street administrator. “Even before that, the mechanics overhauled all our snowplows and made sure they were operational and ready to attach to the truck. It only takes about five minutes per truck to attach the plows. So, to save fuel, we usually wait until we are sure we are going to be plow streets before attaching the blades.”
There are five trucks equipped with sanders and plows. One is held in reserve in case one of the trucks experiences mechanical trouble or if a fifth truck is needed to keep the roads clear.
Hagan said the nine drivers can operate the the sanders and plows. All of them are on alert when the weather threatens. When the snow begins to fall steadily, four drivers are called in for a 12-hour shift. When the shift is over, four other drivers take over so the trucks are out on the streets constantly.
Hagan said it is a plus that all his operators are very experienced with plowing and sanding streets. They also are familiar with the 12-hour shift system.
The sanding and plowing is done according to the city’s snow-removal plan. Hagan explained the first priority is the streets around the hospitals, fire stations and schools plus Broadway and the main thoroughfares. The second level is the other busy streets and the final category is residential streets.
When the snow begins to fall and cover the street, the sanders hit the road. Each of the trucks are equipped with computer-controlled equipment that spreads the salt-sand mixture at the same rate no matter the speed of the vehicle.
Hagan said each truck can hold eight tons of the salt-sand mixture. A truck is assigned to sand about a quarter of the main thoroughfares. Typically, a truck will take about six hours or less to treat the assigned streets. The amount of mixture put down depends on the road conditions and typically, a truck will use three to six loads of the sand-salt mixture in the six hours it takes to treat the assigned streets.
The initial assignment is to plow and sand the roads. If enough snow falls to block the parking lanes in the business district, front-end loaders will begin scooping up the snow, dumping it into trucks to clear the lanes.
Generally, the snow is piled in unused areas such as the Pirates Cove parking lot until the sun melts it.
Hagan has been with the street department for 35 years and said the process to deal with snow on the streets has changed over those years.
He said improved equipment and technology has made it possible to treat the streets more effectively.
“When I first came to work here, we used graders to move the snow,” he said. “In the early 1980s, the city bought the snowplow systems that mount on the same trucks we used to sand the road.”
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