b'WINTER OPERATIONSROC43removal equipment was stored at the airports Fleet Center onoperational when winter weather arrives. The airport contracts the far south end of the airfield. One of the biggest benefits ofMonroe County Fleet Maintenance for equipment repairs and the new building is that its right next door to our Operationsmaintenance, and partners with local dealerships for warranty Center, Cleary says. Now, the equipment can drive right ontowork and help resolving issues with manufacturers. Having local the field within minutes, rather than anywhere up to 30 or 45support on our specialized equipment is helpful because of their minutes.quick response time, Cleary emphasizes. When a piece of equipment goes down, its essential that we get it back up and Takeoffs and Sandings running as soon as possible. Every minute that we have a piece Like most airports, ROC relies on potassium acetate and FAA- down is critical to the safety of the airfield.approved runway sand to respond quickly to icing events. ItFor Cleary, being prepared also means ensuring operators are typically takes anywhere from 300 to 500 gallons of potassiumcurrent on procedures and machinery training. Staffing is planned acetate per pass to treat the [primary] runway, Cleary notes. Butwith intention, so the right number of trained operators are available within a pass or two and almost less than 30 seconds, that ice is already starting to melt. Dedicated sand trucks allow crews to deploy wet sand, which significantly improvesAIRPORTS PROUDLY USING TRECAN SNOWMELTERS INCLUDE:performance, particularly in high-windBOS| BUF| BWI| CLE| DCA| DFW| IAD|JFK| LGAconditions, he adds. The on-board spraying MCI| MHT| MSP| PIT|YUL|YVR|YYZsystems saturate the sand in liquid potassiumSNOWacetate to penetrate ice on the taxiways and runways. This is really effective in windy ice storms, Cleary explains. The wet sand has some weight to it, and it more easily embeds in the ice so the winds just not blowing it off. The airports FAA-certified airfield sand is supplied by nearby Valley Sand and Gravel. The material is sifted, washed and tested toTrecan Snowmelters are the industry standard ensure it is not a danger if ingested into anfor Airport snowmelting equipment.aircraft engine, Cleary explains. The airport has capacity to store 10,000 tons of sand on site and has a ready reserve of about 10,000 additional tons at the mine that can be delivered on request. Although some municipalities pre-treat airport pavement when snow or ice is predicted, ROC takes a more cautious approach. Pre-treating is kind of a touchy subject here, Cleary shares. Typically, after a freezing rain event, we get snow. And if you pre-treat a runway and then it snows, it creates what we call a mashed potato effect. The result is snow that is hardernotSave Time and Moneyeasierto remove.Cost EffectiveBest PracticesEliminate snow removal delaysFor Cleary, successful winter operations Eco-friendly and energy efficientdepend on much more than specialized Reduce or eliminate trucking of snowequipment. His method is built on threeon air traffic areasfoundational best practices: preparedness, Eliminate security risks associated with trucksexperience and supporteach reinforcing the other during snow and ice events.At ROC, preparedness starts long before the first snowfall is forecast. It begins with scheduling preventive maintenance in thetrecan.comoff season to ensure all equipment is fullyISO 9001:2015 CertifiedAirportImprovement.comMarch | April 2026'