Quick Answer
Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, 5,500 personnel, 47 inches of average annual snowfall, temperatures routinely in the single digits, switched from salt and chemical deicers to HeatTrak industrial heated mats across its walkways after the salt approach created a secondary problem: residue was being tracked into buildings by heavy foot traffic, damaging floors and creating indoor safety hazards. After the switch, the facility maintenance team reported fewer slip-and-fall incidents and reduced liability risk. The case illustrates the core advantage of heated mats over reactive snow removal at large facilities.
At most commercial and institutional facilities, snow removal is reactive, crews respond after storms, chemicals are applied to covered surfaces, and the operation is measured by how quickly conditions return to safe. This approach works, but it has a critical gap: the period between storm onset and when response crews have treated every surface. At large facilities with many walkways and high traffic, that gap is exactly when incidents are most likely to occur.
Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota found another issue: the reactive approach left a secondary problem untouched. Salt and chemical residue, carried inside by thousands of boots on heavy-traffic walkways, was damaging concrete surfaces and interior floors and creating an ongoing maintenance and safety problem. The solution the facility team found, HeatTrak industrial heated mats, addressed both the outdoor clearing challenge and the indoor residue problem in a single change.
What's Covered
The challenge at Minot AFB
Minot Air Force Base, located in north-central North Dakota, is home to the 5th Bomb Wing, the 91st Missile Wing, and approximately 5,500 personnel. Its winters are severe by almost any measure: temperatures routinely drop into the single digits and below, and average annual snowfall exceeds 47 inches. Reducing winter-related slip-and-fall accidents on the base's walkways is not a peripheral concern, it's an ongoing operational safety priority.
The base's facility maintenance team had relied on salt and chemical deicers to keep walkways clear. The approach was effective at melting snow and ice, but it created a problem the chemicals couldn't solve: heavy foot traffic was carrying salt residue from outdoor walkways into buildings, damaging concrete surfaces and interior floors. With thousands of personnel moving through the same walkways multiple times daily, the volume of tracked-in residue was significant, a cleaning and maintenance burden, a floor surface hazard, and a source of ongoing damage to building interiors.
Salt Residue Tracking: A Hidden Cost of Chemical Deicing
At high-traffic facilities, the problem with salt-based deicers isn't just environmental, it's operational. Salt tracked inside by boots damages finished floors, creates slip hazards on smooth interior surfaces when wet, and requires continuous cleaning. Facilities that switch to heated mats at primary walkways report that this secondary cost disappears along with the outdoor ice problem.
The HeatTrak solution
The Minot AFB facility maintenance team deployed HeatTrak industrial snow melting mats across the base's primary walkways. The mats, a radiant heating element sandwiched between durable rubber layers, melt snow on contact at a rate of up to two inches per hour, keeping walkway surfaces clear continuously throughout storm events. They plug into standard electrical outlets (120V, 208V, or 240V), connect in series to cover any walkway length, and require no crew response to operate.
"In the past we used salt and chemicals to keep the walkways clear, but heavy foot traffic was bringing residue into buildings, damaging concrete surfaces and interior floors, and creating a safety hazard. We have a lot of walkways and we needed an alternative solution. We found it with HeatTrak," said Sgt. Matthew Matlock of the Minot AFB facility maintenance team.
Results: fewer incidents, less liability
The impact on walkway safety was immediate and measurable. According to Sgt. Matlock: "Keeping people safe is our number-one priority. With HeatTrak mats we've seen a decline in slip-and-fall accidents and, commensurately, a decrease in our liability risk."
The salt residue tracking problem was eliminated at covered walkway areas, no chemicals applied, no residue to carry inside. The operational benefit extends throughout the season: once activated, the mats operate passively without requiring crew attention, freeing the facility maintenance team for other priorities during active winter events.
| Before HeatTrak | After HeatTrak |
|---|---|
| Salt and chemicals applied to walkways | No chemicals on covered mat areas |
| Residue tracked into buildings, damaging floors | No residue tracked from covered walkways |
| Crew response required after each event | Mats operate passively throughout storm |
| Higher slip-and-fall incident rate | Decline in incidents; reduced liability risk |
What this means for other large facilities
The Minot AFB experience illustrates a dynamic that appears at hospitals, universities, corporate campuses, and other large facilities: when heavy foot traffic combines with salt-based deicing, the outdoor safety problem is addressed but a secondary indoor problem is created. The solution that worked at Minot, replacing chemicals with heated mats at primary walkways, is transferable to any facility where this pattern occurs.
The facility-wide implication is also worth noting: when high-priority walkway surfaces are handled automatically by heated mats, crew resources are freed to focus on parking lots, access roads, and lower-priority areas during the critical first hours of a storm event. This is the operational logic that makes heated mats at primary walkways a force multiplier, not just a surface treatment.
Reduce incidents and eliminate chemical residue at your facility
HeatTrak industrial heated mats keep primary walkways clear throughout every storm, automatically, without chemicals, without crew dispatch. Trusted by Fortune 500 companies, hospitals, universities, and military facilities across North America.
Request a Free Quote →Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Minot air force base switch from salt to heated snow melting mats?
Salt was keeping walkways clear, but heavy foot traffic was carrying residue into buildings, damaging concrete floors, creating indoor slip hazards, and requiring ongoing maintenance. Heated mats eliminated chemical application entirely on covered walkway areas, solving both the outdoor safety problem and the indoor residue tracking problem simultaneously.
What results did Minot air force base see after installing HeatTrak mats?
A decline in slip-and-fall accidents at covered walkway areas and a corresponding decrease in liability risk, according to the facility maintenance team. The salt residue tracking into buildings was eliminated at those surfaces, removing the secondary maintenance and safety burden that the previous approach created.
How do heated snow melting mats reduce slip-and-fall liability at large facilities?
By maintaining continuously clear surfaces throughout every storm, independently of crew response timing. The gap between storm onset and crew response is when incidents are most likely. Heated mats eliminate that gap on covered surfaces: they operate passively throughout the storm, so there's no window during which snow or ice accumulates without active mitigation.
Are HeatTrak industrial mats appropriate for facilities with heavy foot traffic?
Yes. Designed for commercial and institutional heavy-duty use. Fortune 500 companies, hospitals, universities, and military facilities. The durable rubber construction handles continuous high-traffic use; mats connect in series for any walkway length and operate from standard 120V, 208V, or 240V outlets.
About HeatTrak
HeatTrak is the original inventor of portable snow melting mats, with more than 50,000 mats in use across North America at facilities including Fortune 500 companies, hospitals, universities, and military installations. Explore our industrial lineup at heattrak.com/pages/shop-commercial or request a free facility quote.
