Xtreme Snow Pros 2017 Training Made the Snow 2017-2018 Season a Safe Success

Through the ice, salt, and snow, the most important part of our business is keeping everyone safe. That means our workers, our contractors, our clients, and their consumers. When snow is falling from the sky, and the winter wind blows strong and brutally, it can be hard to ensure absolutely everyone is safe and protected from what is to come. Those days can feel dark and hopeless, which is where our team comes into the picture. Winter weather doesn’t scare us; in fact, it motivates us to perform to our very best ability.

Everyone knows the Northeast winters can come out of nowhere. Never knowing when it’s going to start, it can go from being a crisp 57 degree fall day one day, to a blizzard the next. That’s why our team undergoes rigorous preparations 6-months prior to the next winter season. So yes, even though it’s hot and beautiful outside right now, that means our team is training for the 2019 winter season. We have no time to waste.

2017 Training

Reflecting on the winter we just had, it’s no secret that the 2017 to 2018 winter was one for the books. How were we able to stay on top of our game? By drawing on their comprehensive training we completed in 2017. Starting in May, we put TeamX through rigorous physical and mental training, preparing them for emergency situations that require quick responses and reflexes. We are difficult in who we permit to join TeamX, which is why during the summer months, we test out new employees to see who can make the cut.

Once TeamX is formed, we undergo hypothetical situations and simulated training, plus testing and education to ensure everyone is up to speed before the first frost is down. Consider the winter we just had, we were very grateful to have the team that we did, able to accommodate for the never ending barrage of snow, wind, and ice.

Safety First

We’re in business to keep our clients safe, which means expert winter weather clearing the moment snow starts to fall. Without our support, these clients are opened up to personal injury lawsuits – not to mention, the responsibility for real injuries. Safety is our main priority, which is what we are already covering in our 2018 training today.

Your safety comes first to us. If you feel like your past winter experience was anything but safe, it may be time to call in the winter weather clearing experts. We prioritize your personal health and safety, as well as the happiness and contentment of your consumers, making it a wise business investment for the longevity of your operation.

Consider hiring Xtreme Snow Pros today before the 2019 winter season creeps up on you.

Snow Boot Camp: Service Providers and Their Extension of the Xtreme Snow Pros Team

As the last part of our Snow Boot Camp, we create a course schedule for our service providers. As an extension of our team, these individuals are just as integral to our success as a company as our TeamX providers. Everyone is part of our community, which is why we invest in training and resource management for every single person that makes Xtreme Snow Pros a success in the wintry months.

Going over the technological apps that we use to communicate and coordinate properties during the winter, we require all of our service providers to sit through classroom training of communication app and our in the field service tracker app. We require all service providers to learn these apps in order to keep uniformity throughout the company.

Classroom Training

We go over these apps in-depth, ensuring everyone knows how to operate the systems effectively. That way, there can be no excuses during crunch time. Within the apps, we look at using them in real-time, choosing the correct service that is being provided, amount of materials being used, noting weather conditions, taking photos, and completing site-specific checklists.

Next, we go over our safety expectations and winter monitoring expectations, ensuring everyone is on the same page for when the going gets tough. We also look at the service provider dashboard, which includes: training documents and videos, downloadable apps, company forms, account specs, company contact numbers and emails, Twitter feed, and a help center.

Some of our rules of thumb include:

Communication is key

Always wear safety vests and jackets when outside of the equipment truck, etc.

Always make eye contact with coworkers; never assume they can see you

Must log into apps the second one arrives at job site

Use the service provider dashboard as a virtual handbook

Maintain respectability when interacting with any client

And the list goes on. We start this boot camp training during the offseason, providing us with enough time to train everyone on their required roles, apps, and understanding before late fall rolls around. Everyone who works under the Xtreme Snow Pros title must undergo their own version of the Snow Boot Camp. It’s how we maintain our excellent standing with clients around our communities.

Snow Boot Camp: Introducing TeamX to Present and New Equipment

We have a variety of equipment pieces here at Xtreme Snow Pros. It’s a necessity if we want to be fully prepared to answer every call and beckon from our commercial clients when the wintery weather comes in. From ice and hail storms to wet sleet and mountains of snow, there are a variety of winter weather conditions we have to respond to for close to 7-months out of the year. In order to be effective, we have a fleet of equipment that covers parking lots, roadways, sidewalks, and more.

As a result, we require our team members to be adept in all of our equipment offerings, ensuring they understand the difference and when to leverage each piece of equipment for different scenarios. We want our TeamX members to be autonomous, which brings us to the next portion of our summer Snow Boot Camp: present and new equipment.

Equipment Training

We include a two-part training when it comes to our equipment: that of the classroom and that of the field. We kick off our large equipment training in the classroom, where we begin absolutely everything we do here at Xtreme Snow Pros.

We require TeamX members to sit through training sessions in which we go over our tech apps, the mechanics of each machine, how to address small repairs, and proper usage of the equipment. Once the classroom sessions complete, it’s time to take it out into the field.

During our hands-on training, we require everyone to demonstrate:

Operation: We own many pieces of equipment to get the job done; tractors, loaders, and skid steers, that provide very different services for our clients. During these training days, we require everyone to take turns on each machine, demonstrating they know how to operate each machine properly when the pressure is on. We cater to everyone’s strengths as management and supervisors teams are performing assessment tests as each TeamX member is training so each person may be assigned to the piece of equipment they have the most knowledge and comfortability with. Utilizing mulch in place of snow provides them with a real hands-on training experience, so they may get the feel and understanding of the equipments vital operation.

Management Ability: Lastly, we assess overall management ability. We ensure our team members are able to operate the machines safely, while also making smart calls and on-the-go tune-ups if something goes wrong out in the field.

We do all of this during the summer and fall months, ensuring our team members are trained and ready to go for when the Northeastern winter hits us faster than we typically expect. We’re happy to see Winter 2017.18 finally dissipate, but as we all know, Winter 2018.19 will be here before we know it.

Snow Boot Camp: Plow Truck Field Day Training

One of the more common, yet crucial, pieces of equipment for a winter and ice removal company is the plow truck/salter. Without plow trucks, we wouldn’t be able to promise safety conditions to our clients when it comes to the brutal Northeastern blizzards. That’s why we devote an entire portion of our Snow Boot Camp training to plow truck/salter operation alone: they can make or break our business.

Plow trucks can be complex pieces of machinery, which is why we want to ensure every member of our team has an adept understanding of how to operate and manage a plow truck and its components. We want them to subconsciously dream about the plow trucks when they leave for the day and go home at night. We need every member of the team to know a plow truck like the back of their hand, which is why we start training them in the operation of the trucks during the off-season months.

Plow Truck Field Days

We provide classroom training, as well as hands-on training, for our plow truck fleet. During our Snow Boot Camp plow truck field days, we cover:

Overview: We go over the mechanics of the plow trucks in a classroom setting, covering the details that everyone needs to understand in case of a quick tune up or fix out in the field. While managing properties, if something goes wrong, we want TeamX to be able to fix it without having to call back to base.

Operation: In the classroom, we go over the operation manual. However, we then take the team out into the field, inside the plow trucks, for days on end until everyone feels confident in their ability to operate the machinery.

Salter and Brine Trucks: Beyond the plow, we also cover the mechanics of the salter, and how to salt properly without destroying the environment and properties in the process.

Skidsteer: Next, we cover the tools that load the trucks with salt, etc. so each TeamX member can effectively manage their own fleet without any oversight or management.

We don’t believe in micromanaging here. That’s why we invest in every single one of our employees from the get-go. By understanding every component of the snow plow, these individuals can respond to calls and requests without requiring extra back-up.

We use the off-season months to our advantage, acquainting everyone with everything they need to know about salting, plowing, fine tuning, etc. That way, no one is under pressure of the snowfall and can take their time exploring our top quality equipment. We pair education with hands-on training for the most effective results, requiring new hires to undergo rigorous boot camps so they are brought up to speed.

That’s how we do business here at Xtreme Snow Pros.

Snow Boot Camp: Field Day for Sidewalk Equipment Introduction

When the wintry snow is pounding the pavement, we have no time to acquaint ourselves with our machines. By then, it’s too late. Everyone knows the panic that sets in when a blizzard overcomes our communities, and we are looked to as a company that’s supposed to assuage the panic while providing steadfast commitment and support.

That’s why, as part of our Snow Boot Camp, we require team members to acquaint themselves with equipment, out in the field, before the winter sets in. During these next months, that’s exactly what we’ll do, substituting mulch for snow to simulate the impending wintry conditions.

Field Day

We kick off our field day training with educational classroom sessions. First and foremost, we make sure all TeamX members have downloaded the tech apps we use to coordinate properties and winter weather clearing services. During these classroom sessions, we go over basic practices and implementation of the apps with new hires, ensuring they have a total understanding of the technology.

Once the classroom portion is complete, it’s time to go out into the field. We go out into our property yard for hands-on training: which is the most important part of the training. First, we cover the sidewalk equipment, like ventracs and snowrators, going over how to operate it safely on any sidewalk.

Next, we cover:

Shovels/Shoveling: A lot more goes into shoveling than you might think. We go over proper shoveling practices, how to shovel, and what types of shovels to use with different kinds of snow.

Snowblowers: We have two different kinds of snowblowers here, requiring our staff to practice using them in a safe way.

Safety First: We require hires to demonstrate they know how to use all of the equipment safely, from start to finish, during these field day trainings.

For individuals that can’t make it to all of the classes, we offer two makeup sessions in the fall. It’s critical that our team undergo this rigorous training, both inside and outside the classroom, to be on par with the rest of us during the trying winter months. We use these off season months as times to catch up with everything else, training our team and onboarding new members, so we’re able to function as one well-oiled machine when the winter winds blow at our backdoors.

We look forward to another successful season of field day training with our esteemed TeamX.