The Davey Tree Expert Company provides residential and commercial tree service and landscape service throughout North America. Read our Flipbooks for helpful tips and information on proper tree and lawn care.
Issue link: https://daveytree.uberflip.com/i/406873
Emergency Situations: Davey Saves the Day After calling for help, PHC Technician Mark Shepherd stayed with a client who had knocked herself unconscious. Foremen Julio Valadez (left) and Robert Hubbard (right) put their fire safety training to use when they extinguished a car fire on their way to a work location. Cape Cod to the Rescue It was a busy summer for Davey's Cape Cod R/C crew—beyond the day-to-day tasks. Four employees were involved with rescue events, which, as Mark Shepherd, PHC technician, says "is not the norm." Shepherd was knocking continuously at a routine client's home when he expected that there was problem. He knocked, rang the doorbell and then called the home phone. When the woman finally answered the door, she collapsed onto Shepherd. "I stayed with her to make sure she was okay," he explains. "She didn't want me to call the paramedics. When I tried to help her stand up and she had no strength, I knew it was time to call for help." Luckily, Shepherd was there to help the woman who he later found out was suffering from a stroke and knocked herself unconscious. His arrival at her door is what woke her. "I really didn't do anything that anyone else wouldn't have done, but the woman contradicted me on that one," Shepherd says. "I was just in the right place at the right time." Just a short time later, another first aid incident happened with other crewmembers. Trimmers Reis LeBeau and Martin Potter and Foreman Robert Borghi were visiting a client's property when he fell and injured himself. The three carried the man into his home, washed his wounds and provided comfort and care. "Each of them are humble and feel they were doing what anyone would do," says District Manager Natascha Batchelor. "It speaks volumes to their character, and we should be proud to have them represent Davey." Foremen–Turned–Firefighters It seemed like any other hot, July morning, traveling on the same ordinary highway to their first work location of the day when Julio Valadez and Robert Hubbard, vegetation control foremen on the San Diego Gas and Electric account, were surprised to see what was beside them. In the lane next to their Davey truck, a woman was driving normally, completely unaware that the undercarriage of her car had caught fire. "She didn't know what was going on," Hubbard says. "She thought her brakes went out or something." The two men signaled to the driver and had her pull to the side of the highway. The woman remained in the car as the men made their way to the side of the road as well. Hubbard and Valadez rushed to the side of the car, helped her out of the vehicle and used the fire extinguishers from their truck to put out the fire. The employees called the fire department and firefighters confirmed the fire was put out by the time they arrived. Thankfully, both foremen had been through the proper fire training and were prepared with the necessary safety equipment to help. "This was the first time I put out a car fire or dealt with saving someone," Hubbard says. "It felt much better going on with my day knowing that I helped her out." W hat would you do if you found yourself in an emergency on the job? With Davey's proper safety training, employees can rise above, stay calm and provide proper care and first aid to what could be an otherwise tragic event. November/December 2014 | 17