By Taylor Boyd
After the success of a recent chainsaw safety class, organizers hope to make it an annual event.
John Wood, co-owner of Wood’s Cold Storage & Supply, LLC, said this year marked the first year he and his business helped host the safety classes, with two held on Wednesday.
An estimated 30 people participating in the two free events, he said.
Wood partnered with Stihl representatives to provide the event. The representatives visited Patrick County and conducted the classes that covered chainsaw safety and maintenance.
Wood said he wanted to help offer the classes in hopes of ensuring people are aware of the newest safety practices and proper equipment handling techniques when heading out to cut firewood.
“Every year, there are a lot of injuries from chainsaws. They can be very dangerous if not handled correctly,” Wood said. “Not only the chainsaws, but also in the trees they might be cutting down. There are injuries every year when people are cutting wood.”
The classes also offered a variety of tips on cutting techniques and tree felling, Wood said, and added they attracted many experienced chainsaw users, like him, but also novices.
Wood said he believes all who attended left with advice from the instructor.
“I know I learned a lot” from the class, Wood said, adding that he plans to put the different cutting techniques into practice the next time he uses his chainsaw.
Among the top tips he took away from the class were the importance of always maintaining a sharp chain that is correctly filed, and the correct procedure for starting the chainsaw.
Also, “do not drop start a saw, and use the proper technique for starting a chainsaw,” he said.
Wood said he hopes others found the information helpful as well.
“It certainly gave me a little better insight into a better way of downing a tree,” he said. “I hope we can do it again next year.”
