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Denver Needs 'A Few Good' Snow Plow Drivers

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Oct 21, 2008 6:06 pm US/Mountain

Denver Needs 'A Few Good' Snow Plow Drivers

Reporting
Paul Day
DENVER (CBS4) ― A group of 300 city workers will be trained to operate residential snow plows this winter.

"It pretty much changes your whole dynamic of driving," said David Huntsinger, Supervisor with Denver Public Works.

Residential snow plows are simply four-wheel drive pick-ups with a plow mounted on the front.

There are 108 of the white, diesel-powered Chevy trucks that will be deployed for duty in neighborhoods of Denver during major snow events.

"We don't want people to have the expectation that these light plows will come down their streets with 10 inches of snow," said Ann Williams, Spokeswoman for Denver Public Works.

A major snowstorm is defined by Denver as at least 12 inches of snow, according to Williams.

The drivers are being recruited from Public Works as well as the Department of Parks and Recreation.

There is a learning curve, explained Huntsinger.

The 4-foot long, 800-pound plow makes the truck wider and more difficult to negotiate on narrow side streets. The larger turning radius makes it trickier to avoid obstacles like parked cars.

"Capitol Hill is our toughest neighborhood," said Huntsinger because of its hills.

The four-hour training session was being taught at a Public Works facility near 53rd and Roslyn.

The residential plows are only available for duty between Nov. 15 and March 15.

But throughout the entire winter the City of Denver operates a large fleet of heavy plows, graders and front-end loaders for snow removal on main roads and arteries.

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