Snow and Ice Management Checklist for School Administrators

• By Rodney Anderson
• 11/01/06

Snow and ice management is an important responsibility for school administrators. After all, slippery or obstructed parking areas and walkways can result in schedule delays and/or injury to students, faculty, and/or other visitors. To ensure that your school is prepared to tackle snow and ice management problems before the start of the winter season, here is a checklist/list of questions you may find helpful.

• Define what services your property will need (with help from your snow and ice management service provider if necessary.)

o What portion of the snow and ice management services will be contracted to an outside service provider?

o Is sidewalk shoveling needed or is there sufficient internal staff?

o Does the entire parking lot need to be cleared of snow, or can a portion of the parking lot be covered until snow melts?

o Is deicing needed when the plowing is completed?

o Will spot treatment for ice be needed during the freeze thaw period after the storm?

o In heavy snowfall, will piles need to be managed on site with skid-steer or front-end loaders?

o When a blizzard occurs, will snow need to be hauled off site?

• Identify how your property is used, the hours of operation, and schedule for when service should be completed.

o Allow enough lead time to have service completed before students, faculty, and/or other visitors need access your school grounds.

o Identify if there are unusual hours of operation.

o • Develop a site map of your property.

o Delineate property boundaries.

o Mark where snow piles should be placed.

o Mark where snow piles should not be placed (on walkways, in front of trash dumpsters, fire hydrants, storm drains, handicap walkway ramps.)

• Choose the right service provider.

o Get references that are in close proximity to your property.

o Look for association membership.

o Look for professional certification (Certified Snow Professional or CSP.)

• Provide your service provider with the hours of operation and marked site map.

• Meet with your service provider on the property and discuss the snow and ice management plan.

o Review what equipment will be used and if it is dedicated to your property or if it will be shared with another customer of the service provider.

o Exchange contact information and discuss how communication will be achieved, and notification of services be given, during winter storm events.

o Discuss what will be the contingency plan for heavy snow or challenging ice storms.

Rodney Anderson is founder and CEO of Snow Movers, a provider of snow and ice management services in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore region. He can be reached at 410/421-9557 or [email protected].