FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
Churchill Group’s specialist services provider, Chequers, has launched a comprehensive new winter maintenance service including proactive gritting and snow clearance.
The nationwide services are automatically triggered by Met Office forecasts, which are monitored daily at the exact location of client’s sites utilising national web cam footage. The default trigger is a temperate of 0c or below during a 24-hour period from 9am. Bespoke custom triggers can also be agreed.
Specialist teams treat each site with the correct amount of salt, depending on the conditions. Gritting takes place between the optimum times for least disruption: 6pm to 6am, with the client pre and post notified. Full transparency is provided via site reports and photos, all of which are available on a 24/7 client portal.
A mix of machinery is employed, from large vehicle spreaders and mechanical snow ploughs for open spaces, to smaller spreaders and manual techniques for hard-to-reach areas. If any additional gritting or snow clearance is required, a client can call the Chequers control room and the team will be on-site within two hours.
Pricing is agreed in advance and can be paid monthly or on a fixed cost-per-call basis. Prices are fixed regardless of how many times the service is used.
Director of Grounds and Landscaping at Chequers, Naomi Childe said: “Icy weather causes disruption every year, from school closures to health and safety hazards. Trying to second-guess the weather and plan gritting services can be a challenging and costly exercise for many businesses. Our ehanced gritting service takes this stress away, allowing customers to get on with their day, safe in the knowledge that we’ll be on-site as and when required.”
The gritting service will be in operation from October – April.
