File — A PG&E helicopter inspects power lines near Forest Hill, California.
San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst N/San Francisco Chronicle via GettPG&E’s use of a giant, whirring 8-blade buzzsaw suspended from a helicopter to remove tree limbs near power lines in the Bay Area has been rebuked by Cal Fire as unsafe.
After being found responsible for starting the enormous Dixie Fire after a tree fell on PG&E power line in Plumas County, the company has upped efforts to remove tree limbs from the proximity of high-voltage power lines across Northern California.
But the recent use of the PG&E’s “Heli-Saw” in San Mateo County has landed the company in hot water with Cal Fire, which says the falling limbs could have hurt hikers and actually result in an increased fire risk in the area from the build-up of discarded branches on the ground. Cal Fire also cited PG&E for not obtaining the correct permits for use of the Heli-Saw, reports NBC Bay Area.
On Dec. 9, 2021, PG&E used the flying chainsaw on redwoods in Wunderlich County Park near Skyline Boulevard in San Mateo County.
Cal Fire said it was assured the Heli-Saw would not be used in county parks, and the unannounced use of the machinery could have put hikers in harm’s way. PG&E reportedly admitted that the incident was a “mistake,” after their helicopter strayed onto park land, according to documents shared by NBC Bay Area. PG&E added that the public was not in danger at any time and says they are talking to Cal Fire about the incident and the use of permits, which they say could hinder them from getting important vegetation management work done as wildfire season approaches.
The machinery can be seen in this photo shared by Twitter user Laurie Voss, who described the Heli-Saw as “a terrifying thing.”
A terrifying thing I learned recently is that in remote areas, to keep branches away from power lines where there are no roads to bring in a truck, they use a “heli-saw”, which is literally 10 circular saws suspended from a helicopter, to trim the trees. pic.twitter.com/ECoHC2LEig
— Laurie Voss (@seldo) December 16, 2020
The innovative machinery — a series of vertically positioned 30-inch diameter circular saws suspended from a high-performance helicopter — was celebrated by PG&E as a fast and efficient method of clearing vegetation from power lines in difficult terrain.
“We can do in a day what a conventional crew can do in a month or more,” a PG&E employee says in the company’s promotional video sharing the innovation in February 2021, though the employee adds, “an aircraft on your property with a big dangling piece of machinery is kinda scary right of the bat.”
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