IceStorm 98 Study

Mr. Bruce Froats worked for Ontario Hydro before and during the Ice Storm of 1998. During the Storm, he played a significant role in restoring the power. He worked 16-18 hours per day over a 3 week span. We asked him a series of questions regarding his role and the role of others in the storm.

Mr. Froats knew the Ice Storm was a major emergency on the second day into the Ice Storm. He was called upon by his supervisors for emergency duties for Ontario Hydro. He was called on site to look at all of the damage that was present.

At the beginning of the storm, Mr. Froats sat down for a series of meetings with fellow employees and supervisors. The purpose was to co-ordinate and layout a strategy to get the power back on as soon, and as safe, as possible with the conditions that were at hand.

His authority came from his direct supervisors other than when he was in the field where he was able to act more independently. The workers had to make some decisions as to how they were going to prioritize the work to get it done.

Mr. Froats said money wasn’t ever a great concern. The main concern was to get the people in Eastern Ontario back to a comfortable, safe, and productive situation.

He made group decisions with people who were working in the field. The direct decisions were made by the direct supervisors following extensive input from the workers.

To communicate, Mr. Froats used internal radios and cellular phones.

He said the machinery worked very well considering the magnitude of the storm and the conditions that were present during the repairs. Some equipment did not perform up to its standards. You could contribute that to older equipment not being replaced on time.

The biggest problem, from Mr. Froats’ point-of-view, was trying to arrange crews that were coming in from different areas at various times throughout the three weeks. A lot of these people didn’t know the lay-of-the-land around the area, so it was difficult trying to get them assigned to their work, and have people take them there.

Mr. Froats said that Ontario Hydro will not change their emergency strategy greatly. They would have more people out in the field gathering information as to the state of the repairs, and what stage the repairs are in. Also, he thinks they will have more direct communication with the people concerning when their power is going to be restored.

He said that Ontario has an Emergency Plan which they used during the storm, even though it was not for storms of this magnitude. He thought they were very useful but they could have been improved upon. Mr. Froats himself, does have emergency training.

The workers did not have much assistance from Federal or Provincial Governments. They did have assistance from the army. Most of their help came from small community groups. Some of their customers helped out by bringing hot meals and coffee when they needed it.

He, personally, did not have much contact with the media. His supervisors handled the media duties as part of their duties in the Emergency Plan.

Mr. Froats had a lot of stress when he worked about 16-18 hours a day. He would then return home to a dark and cold house. The already difficult work of the day was made worse by the lack of rest and comfort at night.

There were very few accidents. Only one minor one. Of course there were a few slips, trips, and falls along with that.

His power was out for approximately 3 weeks.

Mr. Froats said the worst spot was north of Finch. It was affected the most because it is a small, rural community that is very remote. Their power was out for about 3 weeks.

End

Logan Gillard

I am in Mrs. Alanna Whelan’s Grade 6 class at St. Joseph Catholic School. I was a Zone finalist for public speaking in March 1998. I was tested for giftedness in Grade 3 and passed. I am now in enrichment classes. I recently took guitar lessons. I have made all the school sports teams for the past 3 years.

Eric Spero

I am in Mrs. Whelan’s Grade 6 class in St. Joseph Catholic School. I was also tested positive for giftedness. My essay, on What the St. Lawrence River Means, along with two others were chosen the winners for the Ogdensburg Knights of Columbus Essay contest. I have been taking piano lessons for the last 4 years. I am on hockey, baseball, and soccer teams, I also play golf.

THANK YOUS

We would like to thank St. Joseph School and Queen’s University for giving us a great academic opportunity.

Dwight Spero, for editing our interview, (more than once).
Arnita Gillard, for arranging the interview and writing down the points.
A special thanks to Bruce Froats who gave his free time so we could do the interview.