OXFORD — Safety was the No. 1 rule practiced as the junior division of the Oxford Fair’s Woodman’s Day got under way at the Oxford Fairgrounds on Monday morning.
Several dozen students from the forestry programs at the Oxford Hills Technical High School and the Region 9 Forestry/Wood Harvesting program demonstrated their skills in chain saw cutting and other events in front of an appreciative group in the bleachers. Each wore complete safety gear, including hard hats.
“They can’t operate the equipment until they pass the safety test,” said Oxford Hills Technical School forestry teacher Al Shaffer.
But some teachers were concerned that in the same competition field, professional loggers were not observing the same safety precautions.
“We have to wear chaps and eye protection,” said David Billings of Otisfield, who competes with other professionals in the woodsman competition circuit.
Billings and Leo Lessard of Vermont said the applications for competition spell out what safety equipment has to be worn for events, but in reality, they do not where items such as the hard hats the students do. “What do you need a hard hat for?” Lessard said.
Teachers say regardless of whether the regulations require it, they are trying to show their students that every precaution should be taken, and competing next to professionals who are wearing little or no safety gear is not a good message for the students.
“They’re wearing no safety gear at all,” commented Ben Welch, an education technician at Region 9. “And they’re professionals.”
“This is a kind of warm-up,” said Shaffer of the competition that he has brought his students to for the past three or four years. “The kids get focused on what they do.”
From here, the students will begin a series of competitions with other schools.
The activity, which is considered more of a demonstration than competition although points are awarded, helps prepare those students who will be competing in the adult woodman event at the fair, teachers say.
The 33rd annual Woodman’s Day Events at the Oxford Fair highlighted skills of the professional competitors later in the day with numerous contests and demonstrations, including log-rolling, ax throwing, chain saw cutting and log rolling.
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