Transcript excerpt from a YouTube video addressing the objection that helicopter tree trimming is too dangerous. Speakers emphasize that safety is the top priority, describing multi-week planning, on-site hazard surveys, radio communications with the helicopter pilot (Jed), scheduling around hunting season, and marking/flagging hazards. The overall tone is reassuring and safety-focused.
People do not have a clue how much time and effort everybody puts in to make sure that everybody's safe. Safety is number one. All of our guys on the grounds have radios and constant communication. We have the planning for this starts weeks in advance. We have guys out there walking every bit of the line looking for deer stands, fence rows, anything like that. It's marked on any hazards. It's marked on the map. It's flagged. Jed knows about it before the pre flight. We're on radios with him. Reminded them over and over again about him. Well, and we don't do it during hunting season because that's when people are in the woods. So we plan around hunting seasons. Safety is number one.
Safety is number one. Yep.
Safety. Foliage safety is number one. Most important things. Everyone getting home to their families at night. Number two is keeping the conductors clear of hazards that could pose a threat to anybody else. Like to stay on all today's work.
Yeah, we covered a lot of ground today.
We did a great day. Had a great day.
It goes good when everybody gets along and we can. We all click when the plan comes together. Plan comes together. It is safe. We make it as safe as we can. It's more dangerous driving to work for us every day than flying this helicopter, I think. Got a lot of people out there on the ground. I'm in the air, you know, I am. Got my head on a swivel. I'm watching high lines and I'm selling distribution this time. Last time I was sawing transmission. That's a whole different ball game. We'll work to a safe zone. Once everything's taken care of. I'll get out of there, let the guys clean the roads up, and then we'll let traffic get through. It's tough word out here. Things do happen. I do knock some line out on the distribution, but it's so overhang, no human can pull it without something happening. Yep. Whole trees go out. Boom. Everything snaps, wires go down, you know, and that's that drive back. Right now is with the emerald ash borer and the ash trees right now. We all have problems with that. Even mine. Even me. The rotor wash, it'll blow whole trees out. There goes the line. But we can't put people in them because we lose somebody. The only way to work it is the helicopter. Only way. And it's safe. You think it's not? I hate to tell you it's safe. Radio.
