Mother Nature is very unpredictable when it comes to storm timing and intensity. With so many variables to consider, it is critical to plan different responses to contain the storm and manage safety and expectations. Our organization uses three levels of response to help mitigate slips and falls, reduce complaints, and address high-traffic or critical areas throughout an event. These plans are not foolproof but help guide and formulate an event service structure and help meet clients’ expectations.

Level I

In a Level I response, our standard service falls in the normal range of time needed to execute services and allows the team to finish for the client’s arrival. Everything and every area can be serviced; snow has stopped; and deicer is working to allow for clean, clear and safe sites.

Level II

Our Level II response is something we employed over the Christmas holiday weekend. We had a mixed bag of flash freeze conditions after a rain; a bit of snow; then Lake Effect snow over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

At this level, we deiced all sites to protect from the flash freeze and when snow started to fall. We could then switch gears to service sites that were open and had car and pedestrian traffic. Our industrial clients were closed until Monday. We didn’t wait until the last minute to service the closed sites, but the event’s timing allowed us to prioritize the high-traffic and open areas. (Side note: Even though a site is closed, you never know when someone might stop into the facility, or emergency services are needed. So, we make sure we don’t let any sites go during any event.)

Being that the wind chills were -20°F or colder and it was a holiday weekend, we implemented rotations for shift changes so the team could warm up, spend time with their families and still have ample time to service every site.

Level III

We call this response "Hell breaking loose." Here’s the scenario: it’s snowing heavily, all night and day. We deploy everyone, taking an all-hands-on-deck approach, to start clearing drive lanes, loading docks and handicap sections. Sidewalk crews are handling areas of heavy foot traffic, wheelchair ramps, front doors and main walkways.

We cycle through these sites multiple times to keep things safe and to allow people to move through these sites with as little disruption to daily business as possible. If servicing condo communities or apartments, the same can apply – make passes through these sites so traffic can move as easily as possible.

When creating these plans, it is important to understand your clients, their sites and their expectations. It is also important to communicate your response plan so that everyone is on the same page.

It is never too late to create processes and procedures for this type of tiered response – regardless of your operation’s size. Include your team, ask for their input and everyone together can make what could be a struggle into a fluid, smooth operation with awesome results.

Tips for implementing a leveled response

Each snow removal operation is different; however, a well-formulated, tiered response plan can handle all the variables that can impact operations. Rely on your resources, your weather service and your staff to create a successful plan:

1. Create site maps that are coded for these responses, labeled with legends, hours of operations and special notes pertaining to the site. When you give your team and clients great communication and all the information needed (e.g., planning maps, weather forecasts, texts, etc.), it considerably reduces the margin for error and guesswork. In my experience it is always advantageous to lay out all details and pertinent information to everyone, even the minuscule details, when formulating your company’s response plan.

2. Use a service documentation app to track what has been serviced (and what has not); weather conditions; operations details (e.g., plowing, deicer applications, etc.) for easier billing and service verification.

3. Use a great weather service and integrate these partners into your response plan, which can make for a (fingers crossed) flawless execution of snow services for your team and clients.

William Moore, CSP, ASM, is president of Executive Property Maintenance in Plymouth, MI. He is a member of SIMA’s Board of Directors and the Snow Business Editorial Advisory Committee. Contact him at will@executiveground.com.