MUNICIPAL EXCELLENCE NETWORK
PRACTICE COLLECTION FORM
General Information
Date
February 8, 2016
Name of Practice
Navigating Salt Management with the Stars
Name of Municipality
City of Airdrie
Your Name and Title
Joline McFarlane, Public Works Asset Management
Specialist
Phone Number
403-948-8800 ext 6226
Fax Number
403-948-8403
E-mail for Practice Contact(s)
joline.mcfarlane@airdrie.ca
Mailing Address
23 East Lake Hill NE
Airdrie, AB
T4A 2K3
INTRODUCTION
When completing this form, use your own words and share your practice in a story format. Please do
not include any derogatory comments. Use paragraphs and bullet points to organize your practice.
This is not a business case but instead is intended to be informative for your peers, showing them the
processes and outcomes of your practice. Be sure to focus on what you learned so that it is helpful to
the reader. Click on the grey boxes to type in your answers. The boxes will expand as you type.
THE ISSUE
Question
Abstract:
What is the practice you developed or are developing
(brief abstract)?
Please briefly describe the final practice developed.
(e.g. if you developed a new Council agenda, list the
agenda items, or if a new communications plan was
created, provide a summary of the plan’s goals,
objectives and highlights.)
Answer
In 2006, the City of Airdrie purchased the
first Epoke Combination Spreader for
municipal use in Alberta. Since then
Airdrie has continued to expand its fleet
with the acquisition of four additional units
over the next four years to have an entire
sanding fleet of only Epokes.
The City of Airdrie conducted a Salt
Management Plan (SMP) in order to
comply with Environment Canada's
guidelines for the use of road salts in
municipalities. The Plan comprehensively
reviewed current practices for salt usage,
salt storage and snow fighting equipment.
Based on the findings, the engineering
consulting company identified the best
practices that the City currently
undertakes and also gave
recommendations to enhance these
practices.
One aspect of salt management that
Airdrie was already using best practices
was with the use of Epoke spreaders.
Epokes use advanced spreading
technology that enables operators to place
the right amount of material in the right
place at the right time. However, a
supplementary technology exists that
enhances the already advanced
equipment, its called EpoSat.
EpoSat is a GPS automated material
application and route navigation system.
The complementary equipment provides
operators with pre-programmed snow
plow routes that include turn-by-turn
directions for route navigation so while the
operator is navigating the route, material
application is turning on and off
automatically. With EpoSat, correct
spreading is no longer dependant on the
operator remembering when changes are
required. The spreader automatically and
simultaneously makes changes to the
spread rate and spread width according to
the GPS coordinates to treat the route
correctly every time. With EpoSat, the
operator can focus on traffic situations and
plowing snow and not be distracted with
material application. The system still
allows the driver the option to switch into
manual spreading at any time. If a driver is
forced to leave the route, EpoSat
automatically switches to manual
spreading and will resume EpoSat
controlled spreading upon reentry to the
route at any point. Being that the EpoSat
system is controlled through GPS
satellites means that it is location aware
and will complete the routes the same
way, each and every time regardless of
who is operating.
Need:
Please describe (just a couple of sentences or bullet
points) why you needed to create this practice (policy
or process).
The adoption of Epoke spreading
technology would enable operators the
ability to precisely place material on the
road, making the streets safer for vehicle
What issue made it necessary? (e.g. “We needed a
comprehensive plan to deal with…”, or “We needed
an annual forecasting tool because…”)
traffic without wasting expensive winter
maintenance material and also being
more environmentally sustainable.
It is important that the City takes the
appropriate steps to adhere to the SMP as
it is required by Environment Canada.
There are many steps that the City has
already taken, most importantly being the
purchase of the Epoke Spreaders.
The implementation of EpoSat is in
alignment with the Salt Management Plan
for the following reasons:
1. Salt Applications: spreaders are
equipped with GPS systems that allow
accurate application monitoring, however
this practice can be improved through the
addition of automated spreading based on
location specific criteria.
2. The use of advanced application
techniques are in effect because Epoke
Combi spreaders are being used,
however, this practice can still be
improved with the addition of EpoSat.
The implementation is also in alignment
with Council’s strategic goals.
Organizational Excellence in that we will
enhance and optimize service delivery.
Infrastructure Management because we
will ensure a safe and reliable road
network. And lastly, Environmental
Sustainability by managing our
ecologically sensitive areas.
Based on the success that the City of
Airdrie has had with the Epoke Combi
units to date, EpoSat will only enhance
our current operations. EpoSat will reduce
the amount of time that operators have to
train, will allow for term operators to be
hired with minimal time necessary to train
and material will be used accordingly and
placed at the most appropriate locations
around the City. With EpoSat we will
improve on our best practices that are
outlined in the SMP and improve our level
of consistency that the residents of Airdrie
expect.
CREATING YOUR PRACTICE
Research:
How did you obtain information to help design your
practice (including consultation with stakeholders,
formal and informal research)?
Please include any research documentation you can
share, or give us a source reference (e.g. Web site,
literature, “We reviewed the bylaws from other
municipalities in the area…”).
The justification for purchasing Epoke
spreaders was employee-driven. Epoke
spreaders are utilized at many airports,
including Calgary International, where this
employee had previously worked. The
employee had seen firsthand the
superiority of the equipment as it was used
for a wide range of activities, such as antiicing runways before the snow fell and
deicing the runways to mitigate the
bonding of ice to the tarmac. If it was
effective enough to ensure the safety of
tens of thousands of air travelling
passengers, then there was reason to
believe that its use in a municipal
environment would be successful.
City of Airdrie hired an engineering
consulting company to conduct a Salt
Management Plan. The company
consulted with the Airdrie Public Works
Department throughout the entire process.
There were aspects of salt management
that Airdrie was already at the forefront,
such as an entire fleet of Epoke Combi
Spreaders. However, the opportunity
existed to enhance the Epokes with a
complementary technology called EpoSat.
The implemention of EpoSat on the salt
spreader fleet would enable Airdrie to have
consistency of salt application regardless
of who was operating the equipment and
further improve the compliance of best
practices when it came to salt
management.
Research to support the implementation of
EpoSat was conducted within the Public
Works Department. Airdrie has been
utilizing Epoke spreaders since October
2006 and therefore had five years’ worth of
Department specific data to draw from in
order to put together a comprehensive
business case for EpoSat.
Process:
How did you go about designing your practice? For
instance, did you create a team, hire a consultant,
borrow something ready-made from another
jurisdiction?
Describe briefly who did the design work and what
Epokes were presented to the Corporate
Priority Team (CPT) of being able reduce
the amount of material used and protect
environmentally sensitive areas.
As indicated, Airdrie hired an engineering
consulting company to deliver the SMP.
process they followed.
Their consultation was with the Team
Leader of Public Works, the Asset
Management Specialist as well with the
entire team of operators to put together a
SMP that was specific for Airdrie but also
followed the requirements of Environment
Canada.
The EpoSat Business Case was designed
and written by the Asset Management
Specialist. Five years of Airdrie winterspecific data was analyzed in order to
present the background information to
justify the cost of implementation. The
Business Case was then sent to the IT
Project Management Office to be reviewed
for consideration to be presented to the IT
Steering Committee (ITSC) for a request
of funds.
GETTING APPROVAL FOR YOUR PRACTICE
Authority:
Whose/what approval did you need to create and
implement the practice?
The purchase of Epokes was approved by
CPT through the budgetary process.
The SMP was also approved by CPT to be
included in the Public Works budget as
Airdrie had met the average usage of salt
which required a submission of a salt
management plan to Environment
Canada.
The purchase of EpoSat was granted
through a presentation to the IT Steering
Committee. This committee enables
departments to request funds for
technology that was not previously
budgeted for at CPT.
Reporting:
How did you inform the decision-maker(s) about the
practice and your need for their approval?
Please note the name of any documents provided to
the decision-makers that you would be willing to
share.
The Public Works Team Leader presented
the benefits that could be achieved
through the acquistion of Epoke
spreaders.
The Public Works Team Leader arranged
for the engineering consulting company to
present to CPT the necessity of a SMP
being conducted. The consulting company
explained the nuts and bolts of the SMP
that would be included in the final report.
The Asset Management Specialist
presented to the ITSC about proper salt
application and the benefits that could be
achieved through the acquisition of
EpoSat. A video of an Airdrie operator
behind the wheel of a plow truck was
included to demonstrate firsthand the
environment within this equipment. The
presentation went on to explain over
application, under application and
application that was achievable with
EpoSat. Another video taken from
YouTube shows the application technique
with EpoSat.
Consultation:
Did you consult with stakeholders as part of your
approval process?
The presentation and videos are included
in the submission.
The Public Works Department was the
main stakeholder and driving force behind
this project.
If so, how? If possible, attach a copy of templates,
surveys or other documents you used as part of your
consultation.
IMPLEMENTING YOUR PRACTICE
Plan:
Describe the process you went through to implement
the practice. If you used an implementation plan,
please note it here.
Policy:
What changes to bylaws, regulations or procedures
were needed to implement this practice and how did
you deal with them?
Please attach a copy of the change in bylaw, policy or
procedure.
This was a multi-step process, that has
evolved over time.
1. Purchase of Epoke spreaders that
began in 2006.
2. Airdrie underwent a comprehensive
review in 2009 and submitted a Salt
Management Plan to Environment
Canada.
3. The EpoSat Business Case was
compiled and presented to the ITSC to
obtain the funds in February 2011.
4. EpoSat was installed in June 2011. This
was a relatively easy step as EpoSat is a
plug and play option that did not require
any modifications to the Epoke fleet.
Operators were required to be trained
more thoroughly on the advanced
techniques of material application that is
achievable with Epoke spreaders.
Ongoing adaption of the Salt Management
Plan will continue to occur.
EpoSat changes will occur at the time of
operator training. Each operator will be
given the necessary ‘cheat sheets’ to
place in their personal Plow Route folder
so that the information is available to be
consulted at any time. At this point, this
training material does not exist.
When:
When did your municipality begin to use the practice?
Was it implemented all at once or in stages?
1. City of Airdrie puchased the first Epoke
spreader for municipal use in Alberta in
2006. Over the next four years, four
additional Epokes were purchased to
update and expand the fleet.
2. In 2009, a SMP was conducted to
comprehensively review current practices
for salt usage, salt storage and snow
fighting equipment. Based on the findings,
the consulting company identified the best
practices that the City currently
undertakes, such as the use of Epoke
spreaders, however there were also
recommendations given to improve these
practices. EpoSat was one of these
recommendations.
3. Winter 2011 will be the first time running
EpoSat. Route training and the use of
Epokes will continue as per previous
years, however the operators will be
required to learn how the routes
correspond to the selection of routes within
EpoSat so that they are able to benefit
from GPS automated spreading.
a) First stage of EpoSat implementation
will be for the four formalized Priority 1 and
Priority 2 routes to be automated.
b) Second stage will be to design and
implement routes that utilize anti-icing
routes and team plowing scenarios.
Who:
Who was responsible for implementing the practice?
The Public Works Team Leader presented
to CPT for the purchase of Epokes and is
also responsible for the identifying the
necessity of a SMP. The Asset
Management Specialist is responsible for
the acquistion of EpoSat.
If someone else is responsible for ongoing
management, who is it?
The continued purchase of Epoke
spreaders will be the responsibility of the
Public Works Team Leader.
The Asset Management Specialist is
accountable for the submission of yearly
SMP data to the Environment Canada.
This position is also responsible for the
implementation of EpoSat and the training
of operators.
RESOURCES REQUIRED
Budget:
How much did it cost you to design and implement
your practice (i.e. We saved/spent $XX per year)?
What are your ongoing operational and capital costs,
if any?
The SMP was a one time cost of $19,000.
EpoSat will cost $57,715 the first year,
included in this amount is a one time
implementation cost of $62,465 and a cost
savings of material and human resources
of $4,750. The second and third years of
operation will each cost $55, due to only
software maintenance fees of $4,055 and
human resources of $7,000 with an
estimated savings of $11,000 in material.
Since the implmentation of Epoke
spreaders, Airdrie has experienced a
material reduction of 44%.
Staff:
What human resources did you need to design,
implement and manage your practice? (e.g. “It took X
staff member(s) X months on this” or “This is part of
normal staff duties.”)
This is considered to be part of normal
duties of the Asset Management
Specialist.
Infrastructure:
What “capital costs” (such as information
technology,other equipment or building assets) did
you need to design, implement, manage, and/or
evaluate your practice?
Airdrie had previously purchased the
necessary Epoke Combi Spreaders to
make this enhancing next step possible.
Due to the fact the EpoSat is a plug and
play option, no further allocation of funds
was necessary for modifications.
EVALUATING YOUR PRACTICE
Formal:
If you did a formal evaluation (e.g. user satisfaction
survey, analysis of annual expenditures or number of
rate payers served) for your practice, please describe
the evaluation tool and the process used.
Tell us who was involved.
The SMP reviewed Airdrie's current
process for handling snow and ice
activities. Further evaluation occurred
during the collection of the EpoSat
Business Case.
At this point in time Airdrie has not
experienced the benefits of EpoSat during
a winter season. The entire Public Works
team is eager to accept the challenges
that implementing new technology brings
because we have experienced firsthand
the positive results of embracing the
Epoke technology for winter maintenance.
Informal:
If you did an informal evaluation, describe what you
did (such as discussing the practice with people in the
office or on the street, or letters/comments received).
Our operators have been instrumental to
the success of Airdrie winter maintenance
and are encouraged to provide their
feedback so that the program can continue
to evolve.
Performance measures:
Please list the performance measures for this practice
(i.e. reduced number of complaints, money saved, or
change in equipment life expectancy.)
Due to the comprehensiveness of
department specific data that was
compiled in order to present the EpoSat
Business Case, we feel that we have a
significant baseline to compare results
from the coming winter to evaluate the
success of EpoSat implementation.
Please list the process you used for measuring
performance, (i.e. We do annual surveys on…)
examples include:
 collecting data
 establishing a baseline
 applying the measures
 results
 follow up
Changes:
(a) Based on the evaluation (formal or informal),
describe any changes you have made, or would like to
make, to your practice as a result. (e.g. “After
implementing this practice, we decided that it would
be better if…”)
a) The implementation of EpoSat for the
2011-2012 Winter alters the way the
trainer prepares operators for snow plow
routes. Route training will occur as it did in
previous years; however, operators will be
shown how to utilize EpoSat in order to
automate material application.
-or(b) Has your practice met your expectations and if so,
how?
LESSONS LEARNED / BENEFITS RECEIVED
Benefits:
What are the benefits of this practice to your
municipality? (eg. Preparation of Council agenda
packages now requires less time, etc.)
1. The benefits of Epokes has been
recognized in increased levels of service
to residents while simultaneously reducing
the amount of material placed on the
roads.
2. Airdrie was able to meet best practices
as indicated in the SMP.
3. By implementing EpoSat, Public Works
will be able to achieve the following:
• Intersections and known trouble spots
would have product applied consistently
• Utilize employees that are not as familiar
with routes
• Reduce number of hours employees train
for snow & ice
• Ecological hot spots would have minimal
product applied
• Meet best practices as described in the
Salt Management Plan
• Improve level of service for snow & ice
management for residents
Key Lessons:
What key lessons have you/your municipality learned
through the process of:
 designing;
 obtaining approval;
 implementing; and
 evaluating your practice?
Include any problems, surprises, and unanticipated
benefits. (e.g. “We realized that we needed to spend
more time…”)
The adoption of the Epoke spreaders have
been embraced from the beginning. The
intitial cost to purchase this equipment is
greater than most other spreader units on
the market. However, nothing compares to
the ability to place the right amount of
material down in the right place at the right
time. As indicated previously, Airdrie has
already experienced a 44% material
reduction since 2007 due to the use of
Epoke spreaders. This equates to
substantial cost savings over time as the
price of materials used on the roads during
the winter continues to increase.
Reaching SMP best practices will continue
to be goals the City of Airdrie strives to
reach.
Advice to Municipal Peers:
What advice would you give to another municipality
that is considering adopting your practice? Is there
anything you might have done differently?
PRACTICE UPDATES
New Information:
There may be some new information to add since this
practice was first posted. This is especially true if:
 a new process has been implemented in your
municipality;
 there are new practice evaluation results; or
 there has been a change affecting organizational
direction. For example, explain how new economic
conditions or a new vision/strategy affect the
practice.
We anticipate that there will be challenges
during the initial learning curve for EpoSat
but aware that this will ease over time.
Winter maintenance is to be taken
seriously. Residents expect that streets
will be maintained at a particular level of
service, Airdrie has surpassed these
service levels with the adoption of Epoke
Combi Spreaders. These spreaders are
well worth the extra cost as material
reduction costs will be experienced
immediately and operator consistency can
be achieved through the complementary
EpoSat technology package.
New information to be provided following
the 2011-2012 Winter.
Please indicate those changes here. Don't forget to list
any new documents that may be useful to your peers.
Then go to "Other Information" to attach the new
documents.
OTHER INFORMATION
Suggestions:
Please list relevant information sources that others
might use or you would be willing to share (courses,
Web sites, literature, experts).
Documents & Attachments:
Please list any documents you would be willing to
share with others interested in your practice (e.g. a
bylaw, a policy, approval documents, templates).
Epoke North America website
www.epokena.com
1. EpoSat Business Case
2. EpoSat Presentation to ITSC
3. Airdrie Plow Truck Operator Video
(Video #1)
4. EpoSat YouTube Video (Video #2)
* Note: Most documents can be electronically
attached to your practice in the MEnet database. If
only a paper version of your document is available,
please send it with your completed Practice Collection
Form. We will scan it and attach it.
Nominations:
Do you have any suggestions of other individuals or
municipalities with municipal practices that we should
add to the Municipal Excellence network? Please list
their practice, municipality, and contact information.
Or, e-mail menet@gov.ab.ca and let us know about a
municipal colleague that has a really good way of
doing things.
COMMENTS
Have we missed something; anything you’d like to
add to the areas we have touched on, or an area we
have not mentioned?
Thank you for the opportunity to share our
success story.
Thank you for your contribution to the Municipal Excellence network. Please return
this form as soon as you are able.