Always Safe: AWP Safety Protectors Jumping in to Save the Day
When customers rely on AWP Safety to secure their utility, broadband and road infrastructure worksites, they know they are getting more than worksite protection; they’re partnering with a team willing to step in for safety anywhere, any time.
“Our people are inherent protectors with an innate sense of responsibility for keeping others safe,” says Jarrod Wachter, AWP Safety’s chief operating officer. “They work in a strong culture where people feel empowered to take charge managing a safety crisis both on and off the clock.”
From filling in at the last minute to ensure a charity event can proceed safely, to putting out a roadside fire on the way to work, here are several examples where AWP Safety Protectors prioritize community safety and think of others first.
Quick Response for Charity
Each year, the National MS Society hosts “Walk MS” events throughout the U.S. to raise funds for medical research aimed at finding a cure for multiple sclerosis. In Raleigh, N.C., the event features one- and three-mile routes. Due to a miscommunication with local authorities, the Walk MS: Raleigh team found itself without any traffic control plans or setup resources shortly before the event.
After learning the event was at risk of being cancelled, AWP Safety’s Raleigh team quickly engaged event coordinators and local municipal contacts to identify the race routes, develop a traffic control plan and determine equipment and coverage needs for a rainy Spring walk. More than 1,500 people participated in the event, raising more than $225,000 for MS research.
“We worked to overcome the uncertainty of the terrain and the weather in a quick turn,” said Anthony Gibson, field supervisor in Raleigh. “This was a wonderful experience to be a part of and I’m proud of us for jumping into action as a team.”
Fire Prevention for a Michigan Community
While driving along a local highway in Jackson, Michigan, a team from Give ‘Em A Brake, an AWP Safety company, noticed smoke coming from a roadside ditch. Cattails had caught fire. A crew of three Protectors took action, immediately calling 911 and using fire extinguishers from their company truck to prevent the fire from spreading into an adjacent forest.
When local first responders arrived on the scene, they expressed gratitude to the team for preventing further damage and a potentially dangerous situation.
Calm after the Storm
AWP Safety teams are highly experienced in providing emergency traffic control services that support community recovery after a storm. Following deadly Hurricane Beryl in July 2024, AWP Safety teams near Lufkin, Texas, were on call 24/7, answering urgent requests for traffic control assistance.
The team supported a “pop-up” headquarters in Cleveland, Texas, used as a base camp for utility company crews restoring power to affected communities. The camp provided crews with essential amenities like food, trailers with beds and showers, laundry service and meeting areas.
Field Supervisor Amanda Fielder and Operations Administrator Shannon McMullen orchestrated AWP Safety’s coverage for Hurricane Beryl recovery. McMullen also worked 12-hour shifts for seven straight days, leading a team that ensured traffic control coverage went smoothly, including managing parking lots, setting up lane closures and detours, assisting with utility and power restoration efforts and providing thousands of cones throughout the greater Houston area.
Preventing a Dangerous Explosion
On an asphalt paving worksite in Las Vegas, AWP Safety protectors quickly stepped in to protect customers and community members when a propane tank caught fire. Protectors Anthony McDaniels and Nick Ovcen took action to prevent a serious propane tank explosion. Before the tank was able to explode, the team proactively put out the fire with an extinguisher from a company truck.
“Such actions not only mitigate immediate risks, but also reflect a responsible and conscientious attitude towards workplace safety,” said Tasha Fredkin, area manager in Las Vegas.
Protector Anthony McDaniels said the experience demonstrated that being an expert in traffic safety extends well beyond directing traffic. “We’re not just traffic flaggers,” he said, “but overall protectors of safety.”
Level-Headed Helpers on the Road
Sometimes, missing a turn can put a crew in the right place at the right time. On the way back to a broadband worksite after a break, one AWP Safety team in Lexington, Kentucky, missed their turn and quickly became aware of an erratic driver directly in front of them.
They followed the car at a safe distance until it stopped, then rushed over to check on the driver. Protector Ty Sellers put the erratic driver’s car into park and called 911 while his partner calmed down the driver and her three-year-old son in the back seat. The duo stayed with the family until paramedics arrived, then went right back to work providing worksite protection for a customer’s broadband crew.
“Both of them have huge hearts and show it daily out in the field,” says Tony Vinson, field supervisor in Lexington. “It warms my heart to know that there are still people in this world who will take the time to help.”
Kindness Matters
Particularly in walkable urban and suburban centers, many worksites encompass sidewalks and crosswalks at busy intersections. AWP Safety’s comprehensive traffic control plans ensure that pedestrian lanes are safeguarded as much as car lanes are. But occasionally, pedestrians need a helping hand to navigate a worksite.
One motorist wrote to AWP Safety, drawing attention to the kindness of an AWP Safety Protector based in Waco, Texas. The motorist noted that the team member assisted an elderly pedestrian through a worksite.
“This was one of the coolest random acts of kindness I’ve seen in a long time,” they said. “You should be proud to have him on your team.”
Providing protection for 43 years, today AWP Safety is North America’s leading traffic safety partner, securing one million work zones annually. Learn more about the safety we deliver to communities, especially during times of need from severe storms, to crises like the East Palestine train derailment.
