ELGIN, Illinois — The city of Kelowna in British Columbia, Canada sits in a valley with the neighborhoods spanning up into the hills surrounding the city. Each winter, the city uses 14,000-15,000 tons of sand to keep its nearly 150,000 citizens safe on the snow-covered roadways. Then come spring, that sand along with all the winter debris requires pick-up.
That’s when the Elgin Broom Bear street sweeper is put into action.
“We ran our three Broom Bear units for 20 hours a day for eight weeks, and we had no issues at all other than regular oil changes and maintenance intervals,” said Andrew Schwerdtfeger, Roadways Operations Manager for the City of Kelowna. “They handled it like champs. Our previous sweepers needed 6-8 passes. The new Broom Bears did it in three passes – maybe four in the worst conditions. That’s pretty outstanding. They pick up quicker and better.”
With the help of their three Elgin Broom Bear sweepers, the municipality of Kelowna cut down its spring sweep from 12 weeks to 8 weeks. The City of Kelowna purchased its first Elgin Broom Bear about four years ago and then purchased two more about two years ago. The city utilizes them from March through December.
“Our operators love them,” said Schwerdtfeger. “They’re comfortable, quiet machines. They pick up really well, and maintenance has been limited. Less downtime means we like them.”
Utilizing a Freightliner chassis, which is what the City of Kelowna uses for its fleet, enables an easy crossover and availability of parts. It’s a big relief compared to the City of Kelowna’s previous sweepers, which were another brand and much older. A contractor that helps with sweeping as needed in the city and runs Elgin Broom Bears recommended Elgin.
“They’re good reliable, productive units,” said Schwerdtfeger. “They pick up well. The feedback has been really positive.”
“The City of Kelowna worked with Vimar Equipment Ltd/True North Equipment Inc. for its Broom Bear sweepers. Elgin’s extensive dealer network helps customers for the life of the sweeper.” For more information on the Elgin Broom Bear street sweeper, visit ElginSweeper.com.
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About Elgin Sweeper Company
Sold and serviced through a network of more than 100 dealer locations worldwide, Elgin Sweeper products are the sweepers of choice for a variety of general street maintenance, special industrial and airport applications. With more than 100 years of experience, Elgin Sweeper offers municipalities, contractors and industries the most sweeper options in the world, using the latest sweeping technologies — mechanical, pure vacuum, regenerative air, alternative fuel and waterless dust control. Elgin Sweeper is a subsidiary of Federal Signal Corporation’s Environmental Solutions Group. For more information, visit www.ElginSweeper.com.
About Federal Signal
Federal Signal Corporation (NYSE: FSS) builds and delivers equipment of unmatched quality that moves material, cleans infrastructure and protects the communities where we work and live. Founded in 1901, Federal Signal is a leading global designer, manufacturer and supplier of products and total solutions that serve municipal, governmental, industrial and commercial customers. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, with manufacturing facilities worldwide, the Company operates two groups: Environmental Solutions and Safety and Security Systems. For more information on Federal Signal, visit www.FederalSignal.com.