Davey Tree Flipbooks

11 January/February 2024 | THE DAVEY BULLETIN Located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, the Sir Adam Beck Generation Station (GS) II is one of Ontario Power Generation (OPG)'s hydroelectric generating stations, harnessing the area's large falling water supply to provide clean, renewable energy. The Sir Adam Beck Generating stations can generate electricity to power more than 2 million homes, according to OPG's website. Davey Tree Expert Co. of Canada, Limited's Mike Lenarcic, district manager, Niagara Residential office, was contacted by OPG with a request to trim back some overgrown brush blocking sight lines at either end of the trail along the bottom of the Sir Adam Beck GS II station. Lenarcic called in Mitch Forrester, regional safety specialist, to develop a safe work plan for the crews due to the proximity to the fast-moving water of the Niagara River. "The location of the work provided additional hazards the NIAGARA CREWS TRIM OVERGROWTH AT HYDRO STATION crews do not regularly encounter. Mike and I met with OPG at the station to discuss what needed to be trimmed, and I wrote a safe work plan for the client to review and sign off on," Forrester said. As a contingency plan, Lenarcic said they determined the crews would need to wear life jackets, and a buoy would need to be on the shore to be thrown into the river if needed, so that if someone did fall in the water, a life ring could be thrown to that person. "The crews completed the job safely and efficiently. Everyone was happy to be out there and work in an area with beautiful scenery," Lenarcic said. SAFETY Paul Yorks, equipment operator, Orlando Utilities Commission account, Eastern Utility services, was mowing along an expressway in Kissimmee, Florida, with Raymond Bronson, groundperson, and noticed a leaning three-pole angle structure in the distance. Yorks pointed the pole out to Bronson, and they agreed something wasn't right. "The pole was about a mile away, on a sharp bend of the road. From a long distance, you could see it was leaning," Yorks said. Yorks called Erin Givens, vegetation program manager, Orlando Utilities Commission, to report the damaged pole. "I want to take a moment to acknowledge Paul Yorks for a great catch," Givens said. "We had our transmission supervisor go out there and it turned out the pole's guy wires were compromised, and the pole needed emergency repair work. Had that transmission pole failed, it would have had a major impact on our system. I am so immensely grateful for Paul taking a few minutes to stop and say something!" SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING SPURS EMERGENCY REPAIR Paul Yorks noticed the leaning pole and immediately notified Erin Givens, vegetation program manager, Orlando Utilities Commission. In front of the Sir Adam Beck Generation Station II (from the left) are the Niagara Residential office's Courtney Dair, arborist; Coady Allin, apprentice; Dylan Prior, crew leader; Coady Bastien, crew leader; Nicole DiMercurio, groundperson; and Robert Prior, groundperson.

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