Cars crushed, streets and alleys blocked, roofs and windows of houses smashed… Without a doubt, workers at tree cutting companies in the greater Montreal area are among those who have slept the least in three days.
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Photo Martin Jolicoeur
Sylvain Trepanier
Tree care service Viau
As Hydro-Québec line workers attempt to restore power, these rock climbers and chainsaw pros have been living 14 to 18 hours a day since Wednesday to the rhythm of the small and large emergencies caused by the recent ice storm.
“We’re busy without common sense,” confirmed Viau Tree Maintenance Service owner Sylvain Trépanier yesterday morning. We just finished one job on Papineau, we’re going back to another one in Ahuntsic, and there are 150 others waiting for us across town. Our case is not special, he specifies; Everyone in the industry is invited. »
More quickly !
Wednesday’s freezing rain left Montreal and its suburbs in a sorry state. Aside from millions of citizens without light or heating, the region’s cities are covered with branches and trees, sometimes centuries old, which everyone is trying to get rid of as quickly as possible.
“I don’t mind, but the phone keeps ringing,” says Jean-Philippe Nadeau, another pruning and felling contractor currently being hit with an avalanche of service requests.
“We’re doing our best to be quick,” explains Entreprises owner J. Nadeau. But the calls are so numerous that we can no longer meet the demand. Before we reach the bottom of our waiting list we’re going to have a big week, if not more. »
danger on the horizon
This compulsion to work fast in shifts, which today stretch from the early hours of the morning until dusk, is not without risk for workers in this industry, which is still very little or not regulated.
In addition to the risk of accidents due to fatigue, rain, cold and the presence of numerous power cables, there were wind gusts of over 60 km/h on the island of Montreal yesterday.
Josée Séguin, CEO of the Société Internationale d’arboriculture – Québec, which brings together professionals from the sector, asks the population to be patient with these professionals, whose profession she says ranks among the top three most dangerous of all.
Demanding customers
One of the most serious threats to pruning shears safety comes from high voltage power cords lying near trees or contaminating the ground between branches to be shredded.
“We don’t touch that within three meters,” explains Mr. Nadeau. Customers take it badly when asked to call Hydro because of the proximity of cables. But that doesn’t change anything, we don’t take that risk. »
The same philosophy is shared by Sylvain Trépanier, whose company is in charge of circumcision for the Office Municipal d’Habitation de Montréal. “Boys are like my children. In no way am I putting them at risk. »