Pass the de-icer…

It may have been cold where you are, but here’s a job which calls for more than a kettle of hot water and a scraper.

This Police radio site in Canterbury District is one of those inaccessible sites where winter comes early and stays late - and providing the TLC required to keep our communications going can present a challenge.

District Service Engineer Glen Whittaker and ICT Contractor Daniel Penney recently dropped in to carry out de-icing, with the help of helicopter pilot Bill Hales.

“We spent about an hour on the ground,” said Glen, who took the photos. “While it was a bit chilly, it was still a great day in the office.”

"Alpine radio sites are a hazardous workplace," says Gwynne Cocker, ICT District Service Manager (Acting). "Although cold is one thing, sunshine can cause falling blocks of heavy or sharp ice from antenna structures which is a danger to personal safety."