Shearwater uses new equipment to spruce up installation and keep crews safe
It seems every corner you look around the installation, a member of the Shearwater / EMI Services Team is working on some aspect of up-keeping.
Most recently they have been using the new stump grinder for the removal for of about 10 salt cedar trees. The stumps were not only an eye sore but also a great place for spiders, snakes, and other venomous critters to hide.
“They can also be a potential fire hazard,” tells Shearwater
/ EMI Services employee Don Parks who worked on the project.
“Some of those stumps are three feet in diameter and takes time,” adds Parks.
Shearwater / EMI Services’ team is responsible for maintenance and repair of facilities and infrastructure of almost all of Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) and Yuma
Test Center aside from the housing area. All 14 acres of
Cox Field and other grassy and zeroscape areas around the installation require some type of maintenance, throughout the year. With YPG being nearly the size of Rho de Island, the job is a huge undertaking.
The Shearwater / EMI Services Team recently acquired eight pieces of equipment which include a stump grinder, two riding lawn mowers, two drop bed trailers, road grader, gannon, and a bush hog rotary mower. The acquisition of the equipment was made possible with the support of the YPG’s Department of Public Work (DPW), Pat Driscoll and Tom Cimins who understand the importance of good equipment to do a job properly and safely.
Shearwater / EMI Services Project Manager Jaysen Lockett explains, “The equipment not only helps my team be more effective, but also helps make their work a lot safer. For example the drop trailer, instead of climbing up and down on a trailer, we can actually lower the trailer, drive the equipment on and lift them hydraulically. This helps prevent any potential back injuries.”
As of the printing of this article, Shearwater / EMI Services Team had more than 600 days without a vehicle accident and more than 800 days without an accident resulting in loss of work time. “Safety is an issue YPG and the Shearwater / EMI Services will not compromise” adds Lockett.
“Safety is our top priority, we want to work smart and be safe. We have the benefit of working for a company and a leader that truly believes in safety,” says Shearwater / EMI Services General Maintenance Worker Adrian Villarreal.
In the coming weeks and months, the crew will be working on brush clearing to avoid any fire hazards and removing unsafe hanging tree branches, spraying herbicide to keep weeds under control, and fogging for mosquito control in preparation for monsoon season.
The YPG community will also notice another crew on-site laying all the conduit to replace copper lines with fiber on the Howard Cantonment Area.