PLAINFIELD — More than 20 firefighters and EMTs recently took part in ice-cold water rescue training at Plainfield Pond.
Plainfield Fire Chief David Alvord said the training gives emergency personnel techniques they can use to save the lives of those that fall through ice.
Participants in the course were from the Plainfield, Ashfield and Cummington fire departments, and Highland Ambulance was on the scene for safety purposes. It was taught by Dan Meloche and Ken Colette, from K & K Rescue.
“It’s always different when you have a third party,” leading the training, Alvord said. “We got a lot out of it.”
In addition to the training at the pond, the course included classroom instruction. At the pond, different groups practiced “rescuing” volunteers who were wearing cold water full body rescue suits, utilizing personnel on the ice and on the shore.
“Naturally a lot of people were stopping, seeing what was going on,” Alvord said.
CUMMINGTON/HUNTINGTON — Eversource is planning to invest $41 million in tree trimming and removal this year — including in Huntington and Cummington — as it works to upgrade the security and reliability of its energy infrastructure. Last year, Eversource also invested $41 million in tree work.
“With trees being the leading cause of power outages, our regular vegetation management work to trim and remove dead or hazardous trees away from the electric system is critical to ensuring day-to-day reliability for our customers,” said Eversource Vegetation Management Manager Paul Sellers, in a release.
Eversource has a team of certified arborists who work with community leaders to balance aesthetics and other local priorities with the need to conduct the work.
Eversource said that about 50 miles of work is planned in both Huntington and Cummington. In total, the utility will trim trees along more than 2,500 miles of overhead distribution lines in Massachusetts.
WILLIAMSBURG — A culvert collapse on Nash Hill Road in Williamsburg has been temporarily repaired by the Highway Department. The culvert is located near the trailhead for the Henhawk Trail.
Highway Superintendent Dan Banister said that the old metal culvert “had been showing some signs of failure” for about a year. He said the department got a report last week of a bump in the road, and found a small divot in the road. On Sunday, however, the culvert collapsed, resulting in what Banister described as a sinkhole across the road.
Banister said that a temporary culvert was put in on Monday, which the Highway Department got an emergency permit for. Department officials were expected to meet with the Conservation Commission on Friday about a permanent replacement.
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com.