Chainsaw and Generator Safety After a Storm: What to Know

Many storm injuries happen after the storm passes. Learn why chainsaw work on storm trees is so risky and how to run a portable generator without CO danger.

The storm is over, the power is out, and there is a tree across the driveway. This is the moment when many homeowners get hurt. Two tools cause a large share of post-storm injuries: the chainsaw and the portable generator. Both are useful, and both demand respect. Here is what our certified arborists want every homeowner to understand before pulling a starter cord.

Why Storm Trees Are Different

Cutting a storm-damaged tree is not like cutting firewood. A tree that has been bent, snapped, or pinned under another tree is loaded with stored energy.

• Tension and compression: One side of a bent trunk or limb is being stretched while the other is being squeezed. Cut into the wrong side and the wood can split explosively, or the piece can spring up or sideways with enough force to cause serious injury.

• Pinned and hung-up trees: A tree resting on another tree, a roof, or the ground may shift suddenly when a supporting piece is cut.

• Root plates: When a tree is uprooted, the root ball can tip back upright once the trunk is cut free.

Kickback

Kickback happens when the upper tip of the guide bar contacts wood or gets pinched, throwing the bar back toward the operator in a fraction of a second. Tangled storm debris makes it far more likely because branches overlap and hidden limbs are everywhere.

• Keep the chain sharp and the chain brake working

• Never cut with the tip of the bar

• Keep both hands on the saw and stand to the side of the cutting path

• Wear chaps, eye and hearing protection, a helmet, gloves, and sturdy boots

Ladders and Chainsaws Don't Mix

Running a chainsaw from a ladder is one of the most dangerous things a homeowner can do. A falling limb can knock the ladder out, the saw can kick back with no way to step away, and you lose the ability to brace yourself. If a cut requires a ladder or climbing, it is a job for a professional crew with the right equipment.

Portable Generator Safety

Generators keep refrigerators and sump pumps running during long outages, but they produce carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless gas that can kill quickly.

• including in a garage, basement, shed, or crawl space, even with doors or windows open.