HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2001-01-17, Page 6,w-owvr77
PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2001.
A walk in their shoes
Daily routine seldom dull for snowplow operators
Editor's note: 1 have always maintained that when a person is
doing their job well, it looks easy. They seldom are. As amattempt
to provide some insight on what it's really like in certain profes-
sions, not just our perceptions,
of the next few weeks, join us as
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen staff
It was only mid-November, Nit in
a matter of a few days, most of Mid-
western Ontario had been hit with
one of the biggest snowstorms peo-'
ple had seen in years. Mother Nature
clearly didn't care that no one was
ready.
While the skies continued to drop
inches and inches of snow on Huron
County, and a brisk north-west wind
turned this world milk- bottle white,
road crews scrambled to get their
plows ready and on the road.
At 3:30 a.m. on the blizzard's third
day, as most people lay snug in bed
at home, Donald Hastings was leav-
ing his Brussels residence, for
Wroxeter, where one of four county
yards is located. Battling through
whiteouts and across snow-packed
roads, he arrived in time to check out
his truck, load it with sand and salt
and begin his 4 a.m. shift. Never can
he recall a day when an operator did-
n't get through. "Though we have
had to spend a night at the shed," he
remembers.
A married father of two girls,
Hastings has been an employee of
the county for several years, begin-
ning as one of the patrol crew. That
meant driving through the area,
checking the roads to tell the snow-
plow operators where maintenance,
and what type, was needed."
When Hastings first began driving
the plow eight years ago there were
two shifts, 5 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and
2:30 p.m. until midnight. That has
changed so that now the operators
run on two shifts, 4 a.m. until 1:30
p.m., with the second ending at 11
p.m.
Weekends and holidays are on-
call. The patrol will notify the opera-
tors if they are needed in their area.
"In bad weather it can mean 14 hour
days. You just'have to keep at it."
, Hitting the road on this particular
morning, Hastings soon realizes that
it is going to be an interesting day.
The relatively high temperatures
have made the deceivingly fluffy
flakes quite heavy. With the wind's
high velocity, the flakes whip around
accumulating quickly and solidly.
"Hitting one of these drifts can send
you for a loop every once in a
we invite you to, over the course
we take "A Walk in Their Shoes".
awhile," Hastings says.
Even the large tandem truck finds
the going difficult as it jolts and
plods along the route. At one point,
despite the fact that Hastings has the
gas pedal to the floor, the vehicle
only attains a speed of 40 km per
hour. "I can't believe how heavy this
stuff is. I've got nothing left in this
truck."
Driving the plow the first time
Hastings admits, " was a little odd".
With the blade cutting through the
drifts much like a skate blade there is
a level of skill and stamina required
to maintain control. "Some drifts
scare you, and windy days are worse,
but you get used to it."
As he moves along his route
Hastilgs uses his mirror to check the
outside cable frequently, resetting
the tension from inside the truck by
squeezing a handle to his right.
Dumping the sand, lifting and lower-
ing the blade and wing, are also con-
trolled by the operator. "Years ago
they used to have two guys in the
truck but that was long before I start-
ed.
His route takes him from Wroxter
to Walton then east to the Dublin
corner. In a nine-hour shift he tries to
cover it at least three times, he says,
clearing the centre first then working
on pushing back the shoulders.
As he drives on this blustery day,
Hastings leans toward the front win-
dow, making every effort to see
through the haze that continually
blows up in front of him. He now
wears glasses to combat the eye
strain he began to suffer a few years
back as a result of the glare and con-
centration.
The work today is frustrating
because despite his best efforts he
can't get ahead. Turning back for the
return trip from Dublin, it barely
looks like the plow had gone through
just minutes earlier.
Because of the storm's persistence,
Hastings doesn't stop for any longer
than it takes to clear the snow from
his lights and windows. "When
weather's good, I may take a break
or go back to the shop for a quick
sandwich, but usually I like to stay at
it."
Turning south again, he sees that
the strong west wind has continued
to buffet the snow across the road. It
11
Clearing the view
On a stormy day in Huron the only stops likely to be made by the snowplow operators are to
clear off the windows and lights. Hastings, quickly gets rid of the ice and snow that accumu-
lated before heading back on his route. When a blizzard blows the only hope of keeping up is
keeping on the job.
Intent on the task
Inside the truck cab things are seldom relaxing as operators
contend with control, visibility and a number of tasks.
also obscures the view of Hastings
and passing motorists. "There are
some days when I ask myself what
I'm doing out here," he smiles,
straining to see through a whiteout,
knowing that a car is coming
towards him from the opposite direc-
tion.
When it's really bad, he will fincli a
safe place to park and let it blow
over. Taking the plows off the road is
a call he says that usually c
omes from the police. "But it has to
be really bad beforejhat will hap-
pen."
With little progress being seen on
this day, Hastings continues for the
next hour just basically trying to
keep pace. Encouragement comes
from a passing trucker who gives
him the thumbs up.
There is irony, however, as the
trucker speaking to him on the CB
remarks on another stretch of road.
"I don't think they've been on it all
day,", he tells Hastings, who obvious-
ly knows better.
"It would be good if everyone
could ride with us to see what it's
like," Hastings says.
And while people express frustra-
tion when they think the plow hasn't
been on the road, he says, there
always seems to be those equally
frustrated when they do meet one.
"I've had a lot of drivers give me the
finger when they go past."
The frustration is soon his as he
enters a village where a vehicle is
double parked downtown. There is
little room for the truck to manouver
and Hastings explains that it's quite
difficult from the driver's seat to see
the wing and its proximity to some
things.
Such uncertainty isn't common,
however, as the familiarity with his
route means being aware of its dips
and turns. "Like knowing that right
up here is going to be bad," he says
in reference to a spot south of
Brussels known for its whiteouts.
The solitude never bothers him he
says, because there is always too
much going on, too many things to
think about. And there's also the
unexpected. Driving down County
Rd. 25, east, he spies a motorist in
the ditch. "When I see someone in
trouble I try to help," he says, stop-
ping to ask if he can call someone. "I
can't take the time to pull them out,
but I can see that someone knows
they're there."
With one hour left on his shift, a
break in the storm has helped
Hastings in his effort: Even the
November sun had the power in its
brief moments to melt some- of the
snow on the road. "I'll be able to put
sand on this now which will help to
clear it."
Fifteen miles down the road again
it's another story. Whiteouts, and
drifting have almost virtually undone
the work done by the plow. "When I
go back to the shed I'm going to
have to tell (his replacement) that
this area still needs work in the cen-
tre."
After eight hours of circling his
route, Hastings gets ready to head
back. By the sound of the reports, it's
going to be a busy winter, but
Hastings doesn't mind. "There's
always something different happen-
ing. I really like what I do." -