Brian Mulhollen of Heli-Saw. Credit, PG&E.For at least the last two years Pacific Gas and Electric has occasionally used a rather extraordinary sawing device under a helicopter to help maintain clearance along power lines in Northern California. However the company was recently criticized by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for using the peculiar tool in an unsafe manner.
Any organization operating a power line is required to keep trees and other vegetation trimmed in order to prevent contact with the electrical conductors. Trees and branches in direct contact with wires can ignite fires. PG&E has admitted that their equipment may have ignited the Dixie Fire in July, 2021 which burned more than 600 residences and 963,000 acres near Susanville, California. A PG&E worker found that a live tree was leaning onto a power line near the point where the fire started. At least two firefighters died of COVID-19 while assigned to the fire.
Helicopter with Heli-Saw. Credit, PG&E.In 2013 Fire Aviation first wrote about the Heli-Saw tool PG&E is using which is patented by HELI-DUNN. Other variations of the tool also exist. HELI-DUNN’s is 20 feet long and has eight 30-inch circular saw blades driven by hydraulics. Some models have 10 blades. It is carried under an Astar 350 helicopter and according to the company can trim under most conditions 2 to 6 miles a day.
SFGATE reported that the issue with CAL FIRE stemmed from a trimming incident on December 9, 2021 when the operation mistakenly, PG&E said, used the eight 30-inch spinning blades on redwoods in Wunderlich County Park in San Mateo County.
CAL FIRE said it had been assured the Heli-Saw would not be used in county parks, and the unannounced use of the machinery could have put hikers in harm’s way
From SFGATE:
The recent use of the PG&E’s “Heli-Saw” in San Mateo County has landed the company in hot water with CAL FIRE, which says the falling limbs could have hurt hikers and actually result in an increased fire risk in the area from the build-up of discarded branches on the ground. Cal Fire also cited PG&E for not obtaining the correct permits for use of the Heli-Saw, reports NBC Bay Area.
The video below was posted on YouTube by HELI-DUNN on February 28, 2022.
PG&E has a video with better footage of the saws working, but it can’t be embedded properly here.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Kelly.
5 Comments
Clearly someone need to have the contract in their and an on site COR or at least a Forester with A/G radio and tested before takeoff ……getting their fourth point of contact out of the office to monitor this operation. One old crotchety Forester once told me” A bad day in the field beats a good day in the office.” THIS IS one of those days!!
The Reporter did not investigate what so ever and fabricated the safety concerns of this story. The NOV had nothing to do with Heli-Dunn and our operarion. Rather a disagreement in public resources code interpritation between a Calfire forester and PG&E. At no time was the public in danger.
Good to have some factual reporting…..apparently some in the media have issues….nonetheless this type of things probably require a modicum of ground to air ops or some sort of ground monitoring in heli saw operations……can’t fault the pilot for everything if things aren’t clear enough from the ground on what specifically needs to be done
A device like this might be good for giving mass haircuts.
Or not…
Wonder if there has ever been a more permanent solution considered to trees & vegetation being too close to power lines…from what I’ve witnessed in northern California and southern Oregon, tree and brush ‘trimming’ still leaves too much combustable fuels close to, and underneath powerlines.
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