It’s cold and snowy outside, so it’s a good time to talk about snowplow safety!
Here’s a photo of “Cold Pursuit,” the snowplow made famous in the Liam Neeson movie of the same name. While it once tackled mountain passes and bad guys, Unit 105 now has a much tamer job: helping the Town of Peace River keep roads clear and safe during the winter.
With a full load of sand/salt mix and its blade attached, this machine weighs in at a massive 30 tonnes—a real force to be reckoned with. But don’t worry, our operators do their best to keep things as smooth as possible. “Cold Pursuit” clears snow with a 12-foot blade, and if that’s not enough, we can add a wing that extends its reach to 24 feet of clearing power.
Once the snow is cleared, we spread traction material. For paved roads, we use a sand/salt mix, and on gravel roads, we spread a small pebble mix called buckshot. Our spreaders can adjust to drop material right under the truck or cover up to 8 lanes of traffic.
If you see our snow-clearing crews out and about, please give them a wide berth, especially “Cold Pursuit.” We don’t want vehicles or pedestrians getting hit by flying material. While our operators do their best to slow or turn off the spreader near sidewalks and other areas, surprises can still happen.
Our trucks are equipped with bright lights, flashing beacons, and flags to make sure we’re visible. All we ask is for enough space to do our job safely and efficiently.
We also follow a priority system for snow clearing, so if your street or sidewalk hasn’t been done yet, please know we haven’t forgotten you! Our team works from early mornings into the late hours to keep the roads moving.
And if you see us coming, a wave or thumbs-up can go a long way to brighten our operators’ day—especially after long shifts.
Thank you for helping us keep Peace River safe this winter!
