INTRODUCTION: We have heard stories about ambulances that could not reach a site because employees were not aware of the current location. Maybe the crew members remembered yesterday’s logging site but had no idea what road intersects what intersection at this new deck they are setting up. Emotions get extremely high when an emergency situation happens on a logging job. But when you or your employees are trying to relay critical information to emergency responders or 911 call operators, the added stress of not knowing site coordinates or accurate directions to your location can hamper emergency responders from reaching the injured person.
In an effort to provide best management practices, Frankie Arrants, owner of Arrants Logging Inc., Jamesville, North Carolina, shared his great idea for making sure all employees on his two logging jobs do not ever delay critical care because of inaccurate location or directions. Sometimes he is moving his decks very week and does not want his employees ever to be faced with a situation in which their co-workers cannot receive care.
GENERAL FEATURES: Frankie developed a simple system to store and make accessible vital information for each logging site. Information is added to an emergency action folder, which is stored on the side of each maintenance truck. These trucks are at the job site at all times, as they serve as a maintenance shop and as a parts storage station.
Each Arrants Logging job has up-to-date information that includes:
• Tract name and location,
• Directions with street addresses,
• GPS coordinates,
• County information and telephone numbers for spill response, hospitals, and fire departments,
• And any other critical information to handle emergencies.
•
OPERATION: All of this information is located in one place. Frankie has placed a waterproof box on the outside of his mobile service maintenance trucks and briefs his employees on their current location and who to contact in an emergency.
SPECIFICATIONS AND COST: Frankie’s wife, Deanette, purchased the boxes from Lilley International (252-792-4192) in Williamston, North Carolina, and she provides Frankie with all the printouts for each site. The “aluminum manifest boxes” are document holders similar to the ones that are mounted (using bolts or sheet metal screws) on new trailers. Approximate outside dimensions are 8 inches by 13 inches by 1.5 inches. Recent online prices ranged from $12 to $20 after adding shipping/handling.
Courtesy Of The Forest Resources Association: https://www.forestresources.org/