Photo courtesy San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
San Diego District letter carriers continued to deliver mail throughout the recent wildfires in that area.
The fires burned at least 18,000 acres and resulted in one non-postal death. Tens of thousands of residents were evacuated, and dozens of homes and businesses were destroyed. The fires appear to have been the result of a combination of severe drought conditions and high winds, authorities said.
While the fires burned, letter carriers wore respirator masks and drank lots of water to stay hydrated and counter the effects of the high winds and smoke. Carriers also kept their supervisors informed about changing conditions on their delivery routes.
“Our employees did an incredible job in safely delivering the mail where they had access and in making mail available to those whose homes, businesses or neighborhoods had been impacted by these fires,” said Pacific Area Vice President Dean Granholm.
San Diego District Manager Jim Olson said, “Employee safety is our first priority. I am very proud of our efforts to make sure mail got delivered to our customers, without endangering our people who process and deliver it.”
Customers in the areas where there were evacuations or road closures temporarily picked up their mail at their local Post Office.
via USPS News Link Story – Safety first.
That’s an interesting Public Relations story out of the USPS San Diego District but it might as well have been out of “Fantasy Land,” especially given what happened to this CCA about a week ago (and the plethora of events/incidents that myself and many others have seen or been part of over the years).
See: When the Heat is On, Where is your Supervisor Hiding?
You, as an hourly rated bargaining unit employee, are responsible for your own safety and you must hold the USPS accountable for meeting the letter of the law in both Federal Law and your collective bargaining agreements. There are some good people in management but the majority are incompetent fools who could care less about you and your safety and more about their bonuses via the meeting of quotas and mandates imposed on them from HQ.
Always work safely. (A word to the wise is sufficient.)