Snow Event Communication Plan for Commercial Property Managers
~5 mins
When a winter storm is about to blast in, everybody needs to be ready.
As a property manager, you’re a key player in making sure everybody connected to your site is well informed and prepared.
“Communication is key,” says David Keffer, a branch manager at Level Green Landscaping. “You need to communicate with everybody from your tenants to your clients to your security guard to your engineer.”
What should be on your winter weather communication checklist? Share the details of your property’s snow removal plan so everybody knows what to expect. Talk to your maintenance staff about any property needs that could impede snow removal, like potholes or trip hazards. Communicate any special parking instructions so cars aren’t in the way of pre-treating or snow removal.
Keffer shares some tips for a solid snow event communication plan, including:
First, Partner with Snow Removal Pros Who Keep You Updated
You can’t share information you don’t know.
That means the first step in any solid snow event communication plan is partnering with a snow removal company that takes pride in detailed communication.
Make sure you’re in the know.
You shouldn’t have to call or text your commercial snow and ice management company to find out when they’re arriving or what their plan is for your property.
They should tell you.
Look for a company that has a detailed commercial snow removal communication plan in place. Ask them what you can expect.
At Level Green, you’ll hear from us via email five days before a projected weather event. It’s your first communication, but there’s plenty more to come.
Next up: 48 hours before, we call or email our commercial snow and ice management customers with an update. Another call goes out 24 hours ahead, to update you on our proactive plan of attack for your property.
We keep a close and constant eye on weather forecasts and the ground temperature, keeping our crews alerted and updating our plan for your property as needed. Then we communicate that to you.
You’ll stay informed throughout the storm, including timely phone calls from your account manager and photos from our crews who document their progress on your property.
Even when the sun comes out the next day, we’re still in touch. Leftover puddles often freeze. We keep you posted about our plan to treat that new ice to keep people from slipping.
And because we tell you, you have all the information you need to tell your tenants, customers, delivery people, employees and anyone else who needs communication updates.
Which brings us to your snow emergency notification plan:
Decide How You’ll Communicate
You’ll have several updates to share about everything from changing business hours due to a storm to special parking instructions that accommodate snow removal crews. It’s a whole winter weather communication checklist.
What’s the best way for you to share it?
“People prefer all different types of communication,” Keffer says. “Some like email, others like texts or phone calls.”
One Level Green client sends out email blasts with important information before snow events, he says.
“I like email blasts,” Keffer says. “They really grab attention.”
Tell Everybody About Your Snow Removal Plan
“When we’re working with a client, we have a snow removal plan in place,” Keffer says. “We start planning for snow in July.”
We make sure you know that plan. So feel free to share the information, Keffer says, with tenants, employees and the delivery companies and others who regularly visit your property.
People love details. Tell them what the “trigger point” is for your snow removal so they know when to expect services. Will crews show up when there’s any amount of snow, or only after 2 inches pile up?
“When will we start plowing?” Keffer says. "Where should they park? Where will we pile the snow? Tell them not to park near entrances, handicap spaces or storm drains.”
Or right in the middle of the parking lot overnight.
“Nothing’s more disheartening to a snow removal contractor than a big empty parking lot with three cars parked right in the middle of it,” Keffer says. “Sometimes people decide to leave their cars at work all night. Be sure to tell them if they want to do that, to park them all together off to one side of the lot.”
The more details your tenants, customers, delivery people, and employees have, the smoother things will go during a snow storm.
Commercial Snow Removal Communication: Update Your Maintenance Staff
“Make sure your property is in shape before a big snow event,” Keffer says.
That means talking with your maintenance staff about any property needs before a storm.
“Are there potholes or trip hazards that would impede the snow removal process?” Keffer says. “Get those taken care of before a big snow event.”
Are your storm drains clear of debris? Clogged drains will flood, then freeze, becoming treacherous in a big storm.
“You don’t want any build-up of snow on your roof,” Keffer says. “That can lead to a catastrophic collapse.”
Make arrangements to have excess roof snow cleared as it piles up.
Check Your Own Winter Weather Supplies
“Will your staff be helping with snow removal?” Keffer asks. “If they’ll be running snow plows or snow blowers, are they all running properly? Are they serviced and ready to go?”
If you ordered your own ice melt products, do you have enough?
“We often see people run out during a big storm,” Keffer says.
Be prepared.
Look After the People Who Can’t Leave
A good snow event communication plan includes everybody on your property.
“Who’s in your building 24 hours a day?” Keffer says. “Think about security guards or other people who have to stay on the premises. Maybe there’s a dialysis center on site that people access at all hours. Maybe there are deliveries 24 hours a day.
“Be sure those people know the snow removal plan.”
And be sure they’re safe and warm.
“Don’t forget about your people,” Keffer says. “If you have employees who have to stay on site during the storm, is there someplace for them to stay warm? To get food and rest?
“Are there hotel rooms nearby for people who can’t get all the way home?”
That’s all valuable information to share as part of your commercial property manager snow plan.
Pre-Treating with Brine? Notify People
“Will we be pre-treating your property with brine to delay build-up of ice and snow?” Keffer says. “You need to let people know.”
Brine is a liquid mixture of water and salt that’s sprayed on roads, parking lots and walkways, usually before a snow or ice storm to prevent snow and ice from sticking.
It’s applied from truck-mounted tanks with nozzles that can spray a swath of brine as wide as 16 feet. Hand-held hoses allow crews to spray it on sidewalks, too.
But crews need access to all those surfaces, so you don’t want those areas blocked by cars.
Add that notification to your winter weather communication checklist.
Will You Be Open Or Closed?
Your snow emergency notification plan might include adjusting your business hours.
Will your business be open during the storm? Or closed up tight? Communicate your plan to anybody affected, Keffer says, so everybody knows what to expect.
We Tell You, So You Can Tell Them
When you partner with Level Green, you’ll have all the important details for your winter weather communication checklist.
“We meet with our clients about their snow removal plans in late summer or early fall,” Keffer says. “We draw up maps of their property. How many people will we need? What types of equipment? Where will we pile the snow?”
Then, once snow season hits, our communication really plows into full gear.
“We’ll keep you in the loop,” Keffer says.
That includes detailed weather updates.
We have our own meteorologist we can call for the latest weather updates. Team members also monitor several online weather resources, using the same models and data meteorologists use.
We’re constantly monitoring the forecasts and the ground temperature, alerting our crews and updating our plan of attack. Then we communicate that to you.
You’ll stay updated throughout the storm with phone calls from your account manager and photos crews take of their progress on your property.
When it’s time for you to share important details about your commercial property’s snow removal plan, you’ll have them.
Expect Detailed Commercial Snow Removal Communication With Level Green
Sure, it’s up to you to communicate with key people before a snow event.
But if you’re a Level Green customer, we’ll do half the work for you, by providing you with all you need to know about our commercial snow removal services in DC, Maryland and Northern VA.
If you’re not already a Level Green Landscaping client, we’d love to add you to our growing list of happy customers. Our focus is on commercial properties like offices, mixed-use sites, HOAs, municipalities and institutions in Maryland, Washington DC and parts of Virginia.
Contact us at 202-544-0968. You can also request a free consultationonline to meet with us one-on-one.
We’d love to hear from you.
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Douglass Delano
Doug Delano (and Bill Hardy) opened Level Green Landscaping LLC in 2002 to offer Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia reliable commercial landscape maintenance services.