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Business editor survives day at one of America’s deadliest jobs

Dusty Ricketts, a business editor at Northwest Florida Daily News, has spent the past two years trying out different jobs in his community and writing about his experiences. Last month, Ricketts joined TCIA member Backridge Tree Service to get an firsthand look at the day-to-day operations of a tree care crew.

“I mow my lawn on a semi-regular basis and pull the occasional weed, but I definitely wasn’t prepared for how demanding the job would be,” wrote Ricketts.

After an hour-long safety briefing, Ricketts and the Backridge Tree Service crew spent the rest of the day working almost nonstop. They removed several trees, pruned others, processed debris in chippers, and raked the site clean. With the exception of a short lunch break, the Ricketts and the Backridge crew spent six or seven hours working.

“At the end of the day, I was sore, I was a little dehydrated and I was exhausted,” wrote Ricketts. “And that was just me doing the best I could to keep up. These people work hard and they absolutely have my respect. That said, I don’t think my body wants me to go out for a day or two.”

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One thought on “Business editor survives day at one of America’s deadliest jobs

  • I see loads of people who think that they can take down trees themselves, but they really don’t understand how dangerous it can be. Most of these people are novice chainsaw users who are use to cutting firewood at best. It’s a dangerous job and it’s best left to a professional tree surgeon or Arborist! This is what I tell my customers all the time.

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