Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1418957
PSAI Association Insight, October 13, 2021 I 19 What to Watch Out for! While most of these apply to any local PRO, they most certainly need to be considered for PROs that come in from far away. • Proper PPE and supplies. Be sure to bring ample backup supplies of all PPE and consumables. The daily service pace means you will use more than you might think. Steel toe boots and lots of extra gloves and safety vests are essential. • Housing for your crew. Even if hotels are available, they fill up quickly. Many PROs who have done a few events will bring their own campers or sleeper trailers and create their own mini man camp. • Feeding your crew. It is best to dedicate someone to solve this issue, so that finding good food isn't added onto the day- to-day task of drivers who work 12–15 hours a day. Keeping your crew hydrated with fresh water is also very important. • Fuel for your trucks. Most large disasters will end up having a regional fuel supplier under contract to ensure there is enough fuel for generators, light towers, and service trucks that have come to respond. Don't assume it is easy, and you may need to ask your customer to get involved in navigating "essential worker" access to fuel. It is there; you will need to find it. • Well-branded drivers and trucks. Be sure that your logo is on each truck and on your team's shirts. Your Project Manager should gather good photos and videos of your equipment and team doing their work. This recognition goes a long way to promoting your business and thanking your crew for their tireless efforts. Be sure to add hard hat stickers that promote your brand. It's a small item, but worth having to pass out and continue to increase brand awareness and exposure. • Laundry Service. Reach out and find one of the laundry services provided for the line crews who are repairing the electrical outages. They often have a drop-off and pick-up service that you may be able to use. Here again, don't put this on your crew to do themselves. Have your crew pack enough clothes so they can allow a bag of dirty clothes to be out a day or two getting cleaned. • Rotating Staff. For disaster responses that last more than a month, it is recommended that you put your drivers on a two-week-on and one-week-off back at home cycle. While all drivers enjoy the overtime, their families will miss them and the 7-day-a-week pace of long hours can take a toll. • Waste Disposal. There may be a need to set up a temporary transfer station using one or more 21,000 gal. frac tanks so that smaller service trucks can offload and a large vacuum trailer (5,000–7,000 gal.) can move the wastewater to the closest disposal site. When local POTW are impacted by a storm, the longer travel time needs to be factored into this equation. • For Roll Offs and Trash Trailers, there will be local landfills to use. When Ike and Gustav devastated Galveston, the local authorities set up a temporary transfer station where all trash was dumped in an open field and then loaded into large trash trailers to be moved to landfill. When you and your team choose to respond locally or from far away to a disaster, you can be assured that more is possible as you continue to make promises and keep them. High quality sanitation services are the backbone of recovery and cleanup. As you already know, when your work ethic, planning, and preparation intersect with a disaster opportunity, greater success is achieved. There is often very little traffic on that extra mile. I encourage all PROs to bring their equipment, talent, and skills to our next disaster. Stay safe, and we wish you much continued success. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: David Andres is President and Founder of Follow Your Process, Inc. based in Houston, Texas. After beginning his temporary restroom career in 1990, David has personally responded to the WTC Disaster & Clean Up (2001), Hurricanes Katrina (2005), Gustav (2008), Ike (2008), Haiti Earthquake (2010), Harvey (2017), Michael (2018), Laura (2020) and Ida (2021). David also offers general business consulting services to PROs seeking to review and adjust or develop a Playbook to grow their business with greater efficiency. He can be reached at dave@followyourprocess.com or directly at 832.795.2405. Responding to a Disaster (continued from page 18) Photo by Kindel Media from Pexels