Groundies

[MattyF]

well my groundy handed his notice in on tuesday to move to cornwall so too any one who wants a good groundy down that way ill pm you his details.....im gutted hes damn good at rigging on a capstan and has experience on a grcs.

i dont get why guys need a groundy for reductions i always follow my own line if a branch is out of place you should know ,i worked with crews who the climber has to be directed for each cut and its annoying listening to them shout to each other plus you have people working and looking at things from different angles and different ideas that never seem to quite fit in.

[Mr. Bish]

My groundie is a legend (Most of the time). He is vastly underappreaciated I believe.

 

One of the most important skills a groundie has to have is dealing with the public. We are up a tree out of harms way and they have to deal with nosy neighbours and general busy bodies every day as well as being polite to potential new custom.

 

When mine is having a bad day I seem to stuff up what I am doing too because I have to watch what he is doing too.

 

When his back was turned last week a very young boy (About 5) was throwing bits of wood into the chipper. I was frantically blowing whistle and then the kids dad starts giving me abuse for shouting at his kid. Then groundie returns from watering the bushes and I shout at him. He is then stroppy and my next cut takes out a power cable.......

 

It all started because my groundie was not doing his usual fantastic public controll bit for less than a minute. They take the stress so we don't have to :-)

[Alasdair]

ok after reading all this im feeling the urge to become a good groundy for someone in the future, so if i can have a list of all the jobs that a groundy does so i can become a good groundy if you could highlight all the important ones please

[treedave]

Tuppy,

This is what I'm after in a good groundy:

 

Good with the public - especially the winger / busy body.

Right kit, right place, right time.

Strong back and willing to use it.

An understanding or what a good reduction looks like (as opposed to a fast reduction!)

Tickets to help him do his job by the law

Knowledge / experience to do a good job

Happy to work late when needed, and bunk off early on others (it's a two way street in my book!)

 

I'm fortunate enough to have a guy work WITH me that has most of these and is working on the missing ones. When he gets them I'll pay him all I can afford as he'll be a key member of the business/future, and should be retained if possible. I don't want to go back to the days of watching every move of the guy on the ground and having to direct there movements:thumbdown:

[A_lopa]

Ive nearly given up on ground guys,prefer to just pay ok money to exp tree people with some climbing/bucket exp to be there doing there thing.

[Marc]

Tuppy,

 

I reckon a good groundie needs to be reliable and strong, although strong back and muscles are not always needed more endurance to keep going, and be a good problem solver working out the easiest and least strenous way of doing a job. A good groundie is not about being able to drag the biggest branches and lift the heaviest logs.

 

Learn about all the rigging equipment needed to do a job, and how to prep it how the climber wants. Good rope control is a skill, judging branch weights and letting it run to reduce shock loading, also how to swing and drop branches/chunks into tight drop zones, or when to use a pull line.

 

Working with a climber as a unit i'e getting that rope back to him quick, watch him for when he has the branch tied off then set the lowering device up before he ask's will make the job faster and smoother.

Watch how the climber does his work, reductions or rigging, after a while you'll be able to know if he has missed something or needs something before he does.

 

Being able to direct the other ground crew to make the job quicker and safer.

 

Preping the tools before going to site, and on site.

 

Learn all the tools/machines the company you work for may have, maintain them, grease them, look after them and use them to make your life easier.

 

A wheelbarrow and sack truck will save your back and make the job quicker.

 

Learn to do the site risk assesments, and be site saftey co-ordinator, your the guy on the ground this is probably the most dangerous place to be in arb work, keep an eye on your climber, crew and joe public.

 

Learn first aid, you'll probably be the first response guy in any injury situation.

 

All these things and more will make a top well paid groundie.

[Andy Collins]

Well put Marc!! I would only add, as has been put before, good communication skills, diplomacy, politeness, consideration, awareness of surroundings and hazards, ability to think ahead of the climber, and if you have time, clear the ground as far as is reasonably practicable so the poor old climber can have a fag and a cuppa when he comes down. Oh and roll the fag and make the cuppa at just the right time for him., cos he'll be a bit tired. oh and if it rains, make sure his gear is in the dry, shut the windows doors on the truck that he left open.

[John Shutler]

oh and if it rains, make sure his gear is in the dry, shut the windows doors on the truck that he left open.

 

ha ha, its almost like youve been on my jobs andy

[Andy Collins]

ha ha, its almost like youve been on my jobs andy

haha, seen one, seen em all!!

[Jack-Arb aka Tiago Sinclair-Julio.]

Hello guys,

 

I worked for a big council contractors company for 18 mths, most of the things there were crap, but the one thing I thought was ok, was the way the gangs were set up. Most of the time we were in teams of 2, both climbers and one day one climbed and the next day the other did the climbing. So both did grounding for the other and because the teams almost never changed we developed quite good comunication with signs and doing it this way there was never the thing of - im the climber and you the groundy that feeds the chipper all day long...

 

I personally think that the groundy is has important has the climber and therefore no difference between the two.

 

The climber might have more training and does a more dangerous job so I do agree that he should be better payed. But if both climb like in the company i worked there would be no groundies, just climbers doing ground work on the days the other climbs!

 

Tiago