DENVER — For Denver International Airport, preparations for winter weather begin in the summer.

Over the past two years, the airport has added 48 “multi-functional units” to its snow removal arsenal.

Kyle Lester, vice president of maintenance, said these machines aren’t like your typical snow plow. The units can plow, brush and blow snow off the runways.

“These are units that have a 44-foot plow, 22-foot broom, so they can mechanically remove all the snow on the airfield or on the runway and then broom it off to meet traction requirements for planes to land,” Lester explained.

The airport’s previous plows were about 15 years old. Lester said the new units are quicker and more reliable.

“It’s a very impressive operation to see all the lines that go out. There’s about 48 pieces of equipment on when we go to clear a runway,” Lester said. “As the snow comes in, teams are activated. They show up here at work and are on constant alert. So it’s kind of like a firehouse in that sense.”

Denver International Airport

During storms this winter, the airport will deploy about 330 employees to clear snow from runways, roadways and parking lots. Lester said his team recently completed training, and the staffing is back to pre-pandemic levels.

“A typical training routine would be a classroom session for five to eight hours, then about 40 hours of hands-on training, both ride along with a qualified operator then operating with a trainer,” he said.

Now that training is complete, the team is ready to respond when the first snow falls.

Richard Butler