Hydro One workers were getting a lesson in ice safety at Prince Arthur’s Landing Thursday.
“We get more and more requests in wintertime to do ice training and ice travel,” said Bishop Racicot, distribution technician for Hydro One.
“In the past, we’ve just relied on our best judgment. We’ve had no official training and Hydro One has taken it upon itself to give us some proper training and some hands-on training…you can only learn so much from a book.”
Crews were taken out onto the frozen Lake Superior Wednesday and Thursday for water and ice safety training.
While Hydro One crews in Thunder Bay might only need to go out on the ice once or twice a year, in areas like Dryden and Kenora, it could be daily, Racicot said.
“Our power lines go in a straight line. They cross creeks. They cross bogs, swamps, small lakes and the only time we can get to (some trouble spots) is in wintertime conditions,” he said.
The morning was spent in a classroom learning about hypothermia, ice hazards and reviewing Hydro One’s ice policy.
Then Wilderness Safety Systems’ Robert Evis took the crews to the boat launch at Prince Arthur’s Landing for some hands-on experience that included throw-bagging, equipment rescue and a cold-water emergent episode.
