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Home > Leadership > Mayor > Archive Press Releases > 2009 Archives > October 2009 > Mayor Brown Inspects City Snow Fighting Equipment

Mayor Brown Inspects City Snow Fighting Equipment

Contact: Peter K. Cutler
              851-4841 


Annual Inspection Signals Preparation for Winter Weather; Snow Fighting Equipment Will Be Equipped with GPS Tracking Technology

Mayor Byron W. Brown today, joined by city Public Works Commissioner Steven Stepniak and Henry Jackson, Director of Street Cleaning and Snow Removal, conducted the annual inspection of Buffalo’s snow fighting fleet at the Department of Public Works Broadway Garage.

“Every year it’s important to take a close look at our snow fighting equipment and be certain that we’re prepared for the coming winter season; this is a group of city workers who are prepared to meet the coming challenges of the winter and the equipment will be ready to go,” said Mayor Brown. “Our residents and businesses can rest assured that the combination of these skilled professionals and the Department’s specialized equipment will provide the best snow fighting capability for any municipality in our region.”

The city snow fighting equipment includes the following 72 pieces of equipment:

                                            66 plows (includes 5 new plows)
                                            6 hi-lifts (includes 2 new hi-lifts)
 
The City’s winter crew will be comprised of 67 truck drivers, equipment operators, and Heavy Equipment Operators.  This year, as in the past, the night crew will be increased from 8 drivers to 22 and first shift will have 37 drivers, and the second shift has 8 drivers and covered with 4 hours of overtime on both ends during snow events. In addition, the Department has the ability to call in trained drivers from its list of Sanitation Department personnel. The Department will also have the use of qualified drivers available at the 1120 Seneca Street garage when necessary.

“As we announced last year, the snow fighting fleet’s new GPS system will cover 80 vehicles deployed throughout the city during the winter season,” said Mayor Brown. “The vehicles will be monitored from two locations: one, in the 5th floor command center in City Hall and also at the Broadway garage. This will ensure the best deployment of our resources as weather conditions dictate and will help make our snow fighting efforts more efficient and accountable.”

Funding for the new GPS system, a cost of approximately $350,000, will be covered through existing state efficiency grant monies.

The city has 3,000 tons of salt in stock at the Broadway Garage and approximately 7,000 tons at the Department’s Fuhrmann Boulevard site.

“As I stated last year, we have, I believe, the most highly skilled professionals for this type of work in our region and probably the state,” stated Commissioner Stepniak.  “I have complete confidence in their abilities and our equipment is ready for winter.”