October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual international campaign to spread awareness for the disease. According to Susan G. Komen organization, approximately 2 million cases of breast cancer were newly diagnosed in 2018. Involving thousands of organizations across the globe, the movement’s intended purpose is to educate and gather support for the treatment and curing of the disease.

Miami-Dade County in Florida has a long history of supporting the breast cancer awareness cause, with many departments within the organization having their own breast cancer  awareness unit. Fernando Robreno, who serves as the maintenance operations superintendent for Miami-Dade County Transportation and Public Works, says his department was looking for impactful ways to demonstrate its support of the cause. Robreno’s department serves the entire metropolitan area of over 2 million residents, and his unit is in charge of maintaining county roadways throughout all cities and unincorporated areas.

PURCHASING THE VACTOR 2100I

Robreno’s department recently purchased a Vactor 2100i unit for flood-prevention efforts through its dealer, Environmental Products Group Inc. Miami-Dade County has a long history with Vactor equipment and currently employs multiple units throughout the area. “We think their equipment aligns with what we needed to carry out our functions — which in our case is specifically drain cleaning,” he says.

Robreno says the recent purchase was an opportune time to make a statement and decided to paint the unit pink and adorn it with breast cancer awareness decals. “We wanted to do something that made a splash, and we knew that a pink 2100i had the opportunity to be noticed by thousands of residents during any given week,” Robreno says. “This allowed us to showcase our support, while also executing the job at hand — a win on both accounts.” 

And, the initiative didn’t stop there. To make it even more unique, Robreno’s team decided that adding a slogan to the truck would generate even more attention. “‘Drain away cancer’ is something witty that we came up with and we decided to place it on the boom of the truck so it would be highly seen,” says Robreno. “It had a nice play on words with the vehicle’s application, but it also tied in with the cause. We are very pleased with how everything turned out.”

Robreno says that so far, the feedback has been overall supportive. “I’ve heard from many people that it’s being noticed, and that’s really exciting for us. It’s creating more visibility in what we as a department and organization support. We are pleased with what we’ve accomplished thus far.” 

Vactor Mfg. Inc. manufactures the Vactor brand of sewer and catch basin cleaners, the Guzzler brand of industrial vacuum loaders and the TRUVAC brand of vacuum excavators, featuring innovative technology and customizable designs. Based in Streator, Illinois, Vactor has authorized dealers and service centers across North America.

815-672-3171 | www.vactor.com