Many Mainers go to work without the option of avoiding the extreme cold. For those who work in the elements, exposure to the winter cold is a daily hurdle. Employers have to be mindful of workers and evaluate policies when temperatures drop for long stretches.

For heating oil and propane delivery drivers, the cold isn’t the only challenge. The recent cold snap has caused an increased number of deliveries. Last week, Gov. Paul LePage signed an emergency declaration to allow oil delivery personnel to stay on the road longer while drivers work to keep homes and businesses warm.

LePage had a message for drivers.

“We want to keep Mainers warm, but drivers and businesses owners should understand their limitations too,” LePage said in a press release.

The Propane Gas Association of New England has more than 800 members in the propane industry. The association also released a statement acknowledging the increase in calls.

“Our members are all working hard to serve their customers and their phone lines may be overloaded. Many companies have websites where you can send a message online and we encourage customers to use this option and please be patient as propane suppliers respond to an unusually high volume of calls,” PGANE said in its statement.

Local fire departments also work around the clock in the winter cold, responding to calls and shoveling out fire hydrants. Bath Fire Chief Lawrence Renaud said his department is diligent about preparing for the elements.

“Last month we reviewed our policies. Our primary responsibility is to keep them warm,” Renaud said. “We try by design to prepare for all emergencies.”

Renaud said although every call is different, they try to prepare for cold temperatures by making sure firefighters are dressed as warm as possible. The nature of cold-related calls in Bath has not been out of the ordinary to this point, according to Renaud. The Bath Fire Department has responded to a number of calls for people falling in slippery conditions. Renaud noted the older homes in Bath bring a threat of flooding and water damage.

“We are starting to see pipes that freeze over are starting to rupture,” he said.

Central Maine Power takes extra precaution when it comes to protecting its workers against the elements. CMP spokeswoman Gail Rice said the company will often double up on crews to keep workers out of the cold for any length of time. If a worker needs to get out of the cold, another crew member is able to take over quickly. CMP uses caution when extreme cold hits.

“When it gets below zero degrees, we only send crews out if necessary. That would just for outages,” said Rice.

chris@timesrecord.com