SNOWFIGHTER TRAINING…
…WILL YOUR OPERATORS
AND CONTRACTORS HAVE WHAT IT TAKES
Whether you are a public highway agency or a private contractor,
operator training is critical for a successful winter maintenance program. And effective training requires the right tools: a knowledgeable and engaging trainer, a suitable
training environment and training materials such as written handouts, videotapes or other
more creative techniques. Fortunately those
tools are readily available and affordable…. Some are free! Besides tools, an effective training program
needs management support, particularly committing operators’ time to participate in
training and budget to acquire needed training materials.
Salt Institute customer surveys find the average public works agency
dedicates 4-8 hours a year to train each snowfighter.
The most extensive training we’ve discovered is by the City of Edmonton
in Alberta, Canada. Edmonton’s training
program includes 20 hours of classroom instruction supplemented by 40 hours of in-field
training. This policy makes Edmonton’s
snowfighters a finely tuned, efficient machine.
Two ingredients assure trainers will be effective: First, trainers need to know what they’re
talking about and be able to establish credibility with the operators they train. Second, trainers need to be good presenters. Entertaining.
Engaging. “Interactive”
may be a common cyber-term, but it has been the basis for all effective education and
training from time immemorial. Learning
involves engagement. Good trainers do
that.
Good trainers are made, not born.
Sure, a sense of humor and “stage presence” may seem more innate
than learned, but they, and other characteristics of an effective presenter, can be
taught; not overnight, to be sure, but taught. Therefore,
particularly larger agencies may have the training talent in-house, either available or
available-for-development. Peer training can
be effective, particularly if the trainer enjoys rapport with “the troops” and
is acknowledged for snowfighting experience and expertise.
Using an outside trainer is usually easy to arrange. The best source is the Local Technical Assistance Program
(LTAP) center in each state. If you
unfamiliar with your state LTAP Center, don’t wait another day. Most LTAP Centers have developed “snow and
ice” programs available at their central location or made available as a “road
show” series of training seminars around the state.
A couple of states, like Iowa and Wisconsin, have university degree programs
for snowfighters. LTAP trainers are
professional trainers. They know the most
effective tools and techniques for adult learning. They
have developed an expertise and collected the training materials necessary to train your
operators. Check their rates – they are
likely the biggest bargain available.
LTAP trainers know the best training materials available. Good news! Those
same materials are available for you to use directly in most cases. If you have the in-house training talent, rounding
up suitable training materials should not be a problem.
First, a plug from our sponsor.
The Salt
Institute pioneered Sensible Salting training
nearly 30 years ago. The
Institute remains a major source of snowfighter training materials. And the price is right; they’re free to
download. Materials are available in several
formats. PowerPoint presentations are often
accompanied by special notes telling trainers how to customize and localize the
presentation and an outline of how best to present the visual material. The Snowfighters
Handbook, our most popular publication is available as a camera-ready download, easy
for your printer (or photocopier) to duplicate. Of
course, the Institute will sell you these materials; but online they are free.
LTAP Centers
often have lending libraries of training materials (including those from the Salt
Institute) which may be available for your use. Often,
the manufacturer of the equipment you use may have training materials developed
specifically dealing with operation of their equipment.
AASHTO sells a Guide for Snow and IceControl and is nearing
completion of new computer-based training materials for anti-icing and RWIS systems. The Transportation Association of Canada has a free
online primer on snow and ice
control, sponsors snowfighter
training by Ice
& Snow Technologies, maintains a useful database of policy
recommendations and examples of local and provincial policies, and sells an excellent Salt Management Guide of direct utility for
snowfighter training. The American Public Works Association produces
resource materials though at this writing none focus on snowfighter training. The Snow & Ice
Management Association sells training packages on snowplowing techniques and use of
snowblowers to clear sidewalks.
Every snowfighting agency should be using the Sensible Salting approach for snow and ice control.
Effective winter maintenance delivers timely and reliable roadway clearing,
protecting drivers against the risks of winter snow- and ice-storms, sensitive to public
concerns that tax dollars be spent wisely and the environment protected. Sensible Salting emphasizes getting the most from
every application of salt while maintaining the safest roads possible in the most
economical way and protecting the environment.
Winter
maintenance procedures are constantly changing. Current practices will be improved and new
techniques perfected. Snowfighters need information on the latest and best procedures and
techniques for combating winter storms. Training is the vital link connecting
research-based techniques and new technologies with the equipment operators who deliver
winter maintenance service to the public. Training
makes possible the most effective snow and ice control program, and, therefore, safe
winter roads at the least overall cost.
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