Editor’s Choice – Toughest Jobs On Earth (Winter)

 
#10 – Airline agents – If you travel at all, you probably have been “hung up” because of the weather. In winter, the storms are so severe, that they can close down major hubs, which close smaller airports. And, while it’s a big inconvenience to you the passenger, think about the airline staff at the counters who get the brunt of everyone’s displeasure. You’d think they created the storm just to annoy every traveler. You couldn’t pay me enough to endure the grief they get during a winter storm.

#9 – News Crews – Weather is a major ratings battle among television stations. Yes, the “talent” could sit behind a desk and let you know what is going on outside, but the drama of standing in 2 feet of snow with 35 mph winds moving them sideways is great TV. During a hurricane, Al Roker was blown sideways revealing someone on the ground holding onto his feet. Whether it is national or the local news crews, in this day and age, if you are going to report it, you have to be standing in the middle of the worst Mother Nature offers.

#8. Postal carriers – The United States Postal Service (USPS) has no official motto, however; “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds, is inscribed on the James Farley Post Office in New York.  Even if this is not an “official creed,” men and women of  USPS do their best  to get mail delivered even in the worst conditions.
 
# 7. 911 Workers – maybe they don’t sit outdoors, but when there is a winter disaster, they are the folks who calmly reassure us that help is on the way. How do they do it when their own community is under weather siege?  Salute to emergency call center workers for all they do and how they reassure callers.

# 6. Hospital workers – Got a blizzard and don’t feel like going to work? There are no snow days for hospital  workers. In some cases, hospitals will send out for their doctors, nurses and other staff  in Hummers and Earthmovers. Hey, whatever it takes to be there for a medical emergency.

#5 – Snowplow Drivers – Speaking of getting there, how about the snowplow drivers (public and private). Last winter, in some parts of the U.S., it snowed every other day. During the President’s Day storm in the Mid Atlantic states, drivers were out for 36 hours. As luck would have it, the biggest storms are usually over a holiday. So, these brave men and women who keep our driveways and byways open are among the heroes of winter weather.  
 
# 4. Public Works departments – If the sewer pipe breaks, floods occur, the workers  of local public works departments are the guys and gals who dawn their LL Bean gear and go waist deep in the water to unclog  a manhole or rebuild a road.

# 3. Firefighters – in the dead of winter, woodstove fires are more common than we’d like to think. Usually, the fire is at night and many times temps can reach – 20 degrees (F). I get a chill just thinking of how difficult this work can be fire responders. When you see pictures of firefighters with ice cycles dripping from their helmets, you know it is cold.

#2.  Police – imagine being on call 24/7 in blizzards, ice storms, tornadoes, and earthquakes. When there is an emergency, our police and sheriffs departments are the first to respond. They have to have the composure to handle the situation and keep other safe and sound.

#1 – Electric line workers. Nothing compares to playing with lines that contain thousands of volts of electricity when it is raining, sleet, windy, etc. We so depend upon power that when it goes out, our lives come to a standstill. In January 1998, line workers from as far away as Georgia came to the Northeast to restore power over 21 days in freezing conditions. I can’t think of a more dangerous or more rewarding job. I’d like to thank all the men and women who climb poles in all kinds of weather to keep businesses and homes toasty warm.