> -----Original Message-----
> From: Gabriel Orgrease
> Sent: Monday, March 17, 2008 6:49 AM


> Something that has been irritating me in the back-brain is 
> that for folks who do not have experience or talent with use 
> of tools how so many of them seem to imagine that a person 
> picks up tools and uses them for long periods of time without 
> stop. 

When Hurricane Fran came through Raleigh in 1996, the number of downed
trees was almost unimaginable. People were trapped in their homes
because either their driveway and/or the streets surrounding were all
blocked by downed trees.

The city quickly bought every chainsaw that could be purchased, along
with all the requisite OSHA safety gear. All hands were placed on deck,
and office jockeys were given a chainsaw, OSHA gear, two safety videos
for training, and sent out into the field with the instructions to be
safe, don't do anything you're not comfortable with, but under all
circumstances, "make a lot of noise" so the citizenry would have  some
assurance that help was on the way.

Fortunately, I already had chainsaw experience so for me it was great
fun to get out of the office for 12 hour shifts for the next seven days
in the 95 degree heat to cut anything we found in the right-of-way into
four foot lengths. 

The amazing thing is that not one city staff person was injured during
the Hurricane Fran clean-up.

Dan

PS: The two drum grinders making mulch from the offal ran continuously
24/7 for the next two years.


“E-mail correspondence to and from this address may be subject to the North Carolina  Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties by an authorized City or Law Enforcement official.”

--
To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to:
<http://listserv.icors.org/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>