SANFORD — Yes, it is indeed cold outside. But while many of us have jobs that keep us inside and  out of the bone-chilling weather, not every one does.

Think about letter carriers, package delivery individuals, trash haulers and the others like paramedics, who often trudge over snowbanks and unplowed driveways to get you from your house to the hospital, or firefighters battling fires in the cold, with ice underfoot at the same time. 

There are other examples too — like those who work for utility companies, getting the lights and heat back on after a power failure, or police officers out investigating a traffic crash in a snowstorm.

And as the next several days are expected to stay really, really cold — with high temperatures in the single digits on some days — we went out to talk to some working in the chilly temperatures.

Brian, who didn’t give his last name, is the fellow you see on the back of a trash hauling truck, collecting the community’s rubbish. He spoke to us briefly on Emery Street in Sanford on Wednesday morning about the weather and how he tries to keep warm.

“You don’t really,”  he said as he fished a trash receptacle out of a snowbank. “You do three or four streets and then get in the truck to get warm.”  Then it is three or four more streets, and then back in the truck for a few minutes, and so on. “You do the best you can,” he said.

A letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service in Sanford said she was wearing several layers on Wednesday morning. She said she started with long johns, added another layer, then added winter weight pants and postal service wind pants, two pairs of socks, three undershirts, two jackets, a scarf, gloves and a hat — and foot and hand warmers tucked into her footwear and gloves, to battle the cold.

Steve Doherty, a regional spokesman for the USPS in Boston, said letter carriers are encouraged to take frequent breaks, as necessary, to keep warm.

“They’re equipped with gear, like hand warmers, but there’s not a lot you can do except take periodic breaks and get indoors, especially when you’re dealing with the windchill,” said Doherty. 

Central Maine Power spokeswoman Gail Rice said line crews who must work in frigid temperatures to restore power are encouraged to dress in layers, stay hydrated, and like the postal workers, use handwarmers. She said the crews tend to work in pairs, and often one will warm up in the truck while the second crew member is working and then they trade off. When it is really cold and there are no power emergencies,  they do work inside at the regional service centers, she said.

When faced with fighting fires in brutal temperatures, Sanford Fire Chief Steve Benotti said firefighters are encouraged to bundle up the best they can, and he tries to rotate crews and minimize exposure.

“When you don’t have to go out, don’t,” Benotti said he tells crews. He said when crews are faced with fighting fires this time of year, in this sort of weather, a lot of manpower is required — even a small incident can go to a be a second alarm because of the weather, Benotti said. 

“Wet is wet and cold is cold,” he said. And because of the nature of firefighting, crews plying water on a burning building are  also creating  ice, which can prove to be a hazard — and so they rely on the Public Works Department to help reduce the risks.

So how cold is are the temperatures supposed to get today and in the days ahead?

The National Weather Service in Gray said the high temperature in Sanford — interior York County —  is expected to reach 7 today, and dip to a low of -11 overnight, with wind chills to -18.

On Friday, the high is supposed to get to 9, with a low of -9 Friday night.

After that, well, it doesn’t sound much better, until the new year, but that is a long range forecast, and those can change.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.