Davey Tree Flipbooks

10 THE DAVEY BULLETIN | September/October 2022 ELECTRIC TOOLS REDUCE RISK IN CALIFORNIA LINE CLEARANCE New battery-powered hand tools are helping reduce fire risk and keep Davey crews working when fire conditions might otherwise put a complete stop to work in parts of southern California. The Davey Tree Surgery Company is using electric chainsaws, string-trimmers and blowers on portions of the PG&E, San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern Cal Edison accounts. In total, Surgery Company employees have 120 string trimmers, 96 chainsaws and 96 blowers in use out in the field on utility line clearance and pole test and treat work. Sean Sornberger, operations manager, Davey Tree Surgery Company, said the biggest benefit of the battery-powered equipment is their elimination of sparks and heat sources that can be associated with traditional gas-powered tools. PG&E has a fire index it uses to qualify levels of fire risk from R1 to R5 and "red flag" designations, Sornberger said. Daily condition reports issued by PG&E assign fire risk levels to its operations areas, and depending on the level – or if a red flag condition is identified – gas-powered equipment cannot be used in those areas on those days. "Electric tools allow us to work under certain restrictions still," Sornberger said. "Electric tools can still fit their matrix for allowing work to proceed, which is crucially important during fire season for all utilities. Putting off work when there is a fire danger when the work you may be doing may be negating fire danger seems counterproductive, and this battery-powered equipment allows us to keep working in situations where, with gas-powered equipment, we would have had to shut down." But that's not the only benefit, Sornberger said. "For us, pollution is a big issue here in California," Sornberger said. "Battery-powered tools are not emitting carbon dioxide or other pollutants. Noise pollution also is significantly reduced, as they're a lot quieter." VISION An example of an electric string trimmer and blower used on Davey California utility accounts. A Surgery Company employee uses an electric string trimmer to maintain pole clearing work, which stipulates a certain area around a power pole be trimmed down to bare soil and all potentially combustible material be blown out of the clearance area. And employees appreciate the tools as well. "This equipment is lighter in weight, so it's good from a safety perspective for us to help reduce arm, neck, and back injuries from lifting and working with tools, especially aloft," he said. The challenge the Surgery Company is addressing now is battery capacity and charging solutions to ensure employees can get a full day's worth of work out of an electric tool. "This electric equipment has been out for a few years and is leaps and bounds above the earlier versions as far as durability and battery capacity," Sornberger said.

• Cover