Utility Locate Rodeo puts locators’ skills to test

A light rain did not slow down the first-ever Utility Locate Rodeo organized by the Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance (ORCGA) recently held at Humber College.

Thirty-five locators from areas such as Barrie, London, Niagara, Ottawa, and the Greater Toronto Area donned their locator equipment and put their skills to the test in one of four categories: gas, power, water or telecom location.

Locators looking for the ultimate test participated in the “Locate from Hell”, a bonus event, which required participants to complete their locate task in three minutes as opposed to 12 for the other categories.

Jim Douglas, executive director of ORCGA, said the main reason for the rodeo was to recognize the skills used by locators and to provide participants an opportunity to network. Douglas said the rodeo’s turnout was great and he expects it to grow next year.

Humber College was a natural fit for the first-ever rodeo because since fall 2006 it has offered the training component of the locator certification process for both new and experienced locators. Humber developed the course with the ORCGA.

Below are the top three competitors in the Locate from Hell and in each division:

Locate From Hell

1. Steve Heddle, G-Tel

2. Adam Irving, Promark-Telecon

3. Mike Eeles, PVS Contractors

Gas Division:

1. Derek Turnbull, Promark-Telecom

2. Ryan Caldwell, BayCADD Solutions Inc.

3. Andrew Mark, 1OneCall Locators Canada

Power Division:

1. Maggie Makowska-Faron, Cable Control Systems

2. Angel Rahnev, Halton Hills Hydro