Bartlett Tree Experts held their annual aerial training with their Kelowna team on Wednesday, Nov. 29.
This year Bartlett’s Kelowna manager Mike Parsons also invited the City of Kelowna arborist team to join them.
“Tree care is one of the most dangerous occupations in Canada,” said Parsons. “Safety is our number one priority, and we don’t want to see anyone get hurt.”
This training is essential for arborists on the ground to know what to do if their co-worker in the tree has an emergency. The one-day training session on Wednesday featured demonstrations, practice opportunities, and lessons and prepares climbers and arborists for different emergency scenarios, rescues, and maneuvers.
“These types of training sessions are extremely important, not just to prepare the crew in case of an emergency, but to remind them how important safety is,” continued Parsons. “We have safety meetings every week, and this past year we went the entire year without an incident, which I am incredibly proud of. This type of accomplishment can only happen if safety is front and centre in the minds of the team.”
This year’s training sessions took place on the elk trees outside Elks Stadium. Bartlett’s regional manager Matt Beatty travelled up from Burnaby to join the training session.
READ MORE: Lake Country Firefighters supporting food bank in annual campaign
READ MORE: Found kitten in Kelowna on road to recovery