Canada Crew Perseveres Through Brutal Blizzard

Sometimes, the term blizzard gets thrown around. It’s not exactly a snowstorm. There’s snow involved, but technically, wind is the additional factor that qualifies weather as a blizzard.

And while blizzards aren’t new to Canada, a recent weather event in Alberta struck Safety Manager Hannah Welch as extraordinarily brutal. That’s why she was impressed with how a Ft. Saskatchewan switching crew handled it one sub-zero night.

Welch called the wind that night “a force to be reckoned with.” It contributed to a feels-like temperature that she guessed was in the high minus-30s C (or, colder than minus 22 F). “Every part of your skin has to be covered,” she said, “or you risk frostbite in about 10 minutes.”

Welch said the gale-force wind caused another issue: It was quick to pack snow into the 30-some switches that would need to be cleared for that shift. The track lacked switch heaters, and keeping the switches free of snow and ice was critical to ensuring they functioned properly, preventing a possible derailment.

Trainmaster Michael Hannon arrived for work that night around 6. He took it upon himself to grab a snowblower pack and go out ahead of conductors Kyreece Willis and Justin Huget to clear switches. “He saved those two conductors a lot of work,” said Welch. “He could’ve been sitting in his truck, monitoring, but he made sure he was doing what he could to make their job and life easier.”

She praised the positive attitude and mutual support of the entire crew during their 12-hour shift, including the person who provided her with many of the details of that night, Engineer Corry Truax, whom she called “selfless.”

“She put recognition forward for the others. She’s the engineer with the heat going; the snow isn’t affecting her too much, but she recognized what her crew was doing to put in nothing but their best effort.”

As for Willis and Huget, Welch said: “Both worked safely with zero complaints about the weather. They built each other up to keep going and get their job done safely despite the conditions. When I talk about the Watco culture, I see those two guys being the top – great attitudes and holding safety to the highest standard.”

She continued: “We tell them you can take warmup breaks, but you can’t take a railcar 5 feet and then sit for a 15-minute break. That’s where their working together as a team went such a long way. Each making sure the other is good. No compromising.

“In these extreme conditions and working through them safely and effectively, it really does take a great team, and I believe these team members have shown what that truly looks like.”