How can I get disaster/recovery work?

[ClimbMIT]

Hello Everyone,
I am new to the forum here. I am interested in starting a real business doing tree work. I have dabbled in it off and on for about ten years. I am a fireman here in the New Orleans area and I may not be able to continue firefighting due to hearing loss in my left ear. I am interested in finding out what I would need to do so I could travel and pick up storm clean up. I have two Stihl saws, MS 192 and MS 290, small pick up and 5' by 10' single axle trailer. No current certifications. I am trying to figure out what certifications and insurance I would need to show up in another state to do storm clean up. I am fairly confident climber and have the skills to prune, shape, and remove most trees. Any info would be much appreciated!
Thanks, Mark

 

[Blakesmaster]

lol

 

[DangerTree]

lol

Hey Blakemaster where in NY are you I will be out east in Nov 4-6 would like to see NYC other than on TV.

 

[DangerTree]

Hello Everyone,
I am new to the forum here. I am interested in starting a real business doing tree work. I have dabbled in it off and on for about ten years. I am a fireman here in the New Orleans area and I may not be able to continue firefighting due to hearing loss in my left ear. I am interested in finding out what I would need to do so I could travel and pick up storm clean up. I have two Stihl saws, MS 192 and MS 290, small pick up and 5' by 10' single axle trailer. No current certifications. I am trying to figure out what certifications and insurance I would need to show up in another state to do storm clean up. I am fairly confident climber and have the skills to prune, shape, and remove most trees. Any info would be much appreciated!
Thanks, Mark

You will be able to pick up all kinds of after kill clean up. You want to work for yourself don't you? Better money than being an employee.

 

[Blakesmaster]

Hey Blakemaster where in NY are you I will be out east in Nov 4-6 would like to see NYC other than on TV.

I'm in upstate, NY. Binghamton to be exact. Been to the city a few times. Been meaning to go again. If you're going down there I'd check out Rudy's Bar and Grill in Hells' Kitchen. !Porkslap! Sweet little dive joint stuck in the middle of ritzy, velvet rope type places. The bridges are always cool to check out, especially the Brooklyn Bridge. Really neat history there. Google "caisson".

 

[DangerTree]

I'm in upstate, NY. Binghamton to be exact. Been to the city a few times. Been meaning to go again. If you're going down there I'd check out Rudy's Bar and Grill in Hells' Kitchen. !Porkslap! Sweet little dive joint stuck in the middle of ritzy, velvet rope type places. The bridges are always cool to check out, especially the Brooklyn Bridge. Really neat history there. Google "caisson".

Thanx man I'll check it out for sure. We should hook up again before I go and trade contact info. I still have to find out about the roaming charges thing with my cell phone carrier.

 

[ClimbMIT]

I started getting alot of after kill when a tornado touched down here in my neighborhood earlier this year. On another forum I read that some states will except an ISA certification and 50,000 liability.

 

[DangerTree]

I started getting alot of after kill when a tornado touched down here in my neighborhood earlier this year. On another forum I read that some states will except an ISA certification and 50,000 liability.

Couldn't hurt to be certified but there will be all kinds of private work on private property where that won't be needed. Liability insurance on the other hand is a must at least 1,000,000 dollars worth. That's right million dollars worth! If you smash a fine home or injure someone you will need all of that maybe more. You may run into problems getting insurance without certification though. I carry a 2 million buck blanket policy for my Service.

 

[ClimbMIT]

Couldn't hurt to be certified but there will be all kinds of private work on private property where that won't be needed. Liability insurance on the other hand is a must at least 1,000,000 dollars worth. That's right million dollars worth! If you smash a fine home or injure someone you will need all of that maybe more. You may run into problems getting insurance without certification though. I carry a 2 million buck blanket policy for my Service.[/

Thanks for the feedback I will look into dates of classes and testing dates for Arborist Certification through the ISA and my state. Here in Louisiana you must past the states test as well.

 

[treefaller25]

Hello Everyone,
I am new to the forum here. I am interested in starting a real business doing tree work. I have dabbled in it off and on for about ten years. I am a fireman here in the New Orleans area and I may not be able to continue firefighting due to hearing loss in my left ear. I am interested in finding out what I would need to do so I could travel and pick up storm clean up. I have two Stihl saws, MS 192 and MS 290, small pick up and 5' by 10' single axle trailer. No current certifications. I am trying to figure out what certifications and insurance I would need to show up in another state to do storm clean up. I am fairly confident climber and have the skills to prune, shape, and remove most trees. Any info would be much appreciated!
Thanks, Mark

Just try doing some tree work normal jobs first.It sounds like your off to a good start.If you remember 8/29 /05 and the days after all the contractors that where there some of them did not get paid by Fema,which caused to go under.So disaster relief isnt always a good money maker in our bussiness.Please feel free to e-mail me on this site .I was at eng.co 29 durring the hurricane.I might have met up with you at the reteirment home over on the Westbank.Take care be safe out there.

 

[troythetreeman]

Hello Everyone,
I am new to the forum here. I am interested in starting a real business doing tree work. I have dabbled in it off and on for about ten years. I am a fireman here in the New Orleans area and I may not be able to continue firefighting due to hearing loss in my left ear. I am interested in finding out what I would need to do so I could travel and pick up storm clean up. I have two Stihl saws, MS 192 and MS 290, small pick up and 5' by 10' single axle trailer. No current certifications. I am trying to figure out what certifications and insurance I would need to show up in another state to do storm clean up. I am fairly confident climber and have the skills to prune, shape, and remove most trees. Any info would be much appreciated!
Thanks, Mark

to hell with these guys, this is america and youre entitled to an honest living same as the rest of us
as for storm chasing, idk, the problem there is the flock of vultures that often swarm these areas all bidding work that is often much higher risk at dirt cheap prices
as for insurance, good million dollar liability policy will cover you for sure and arent that terribly expensive
certification requirements vary per city, most dont have any
check tho, for that and soliciting permit regs, if youre planning to chase storms youll be hitting a lot of doors to get work, at least at first, last time i did storm work tho i hit one, the rest were walk ups,"please do mine next"
storm clean up work is often curb sided so your truck/trailer isnt going to be a huge deal, tho if youre hauling stuff away youre simply not set up for it
one ton truck and a man eater will get you by well enough, dumps are nice but you can build a box and throw it off with a silage fork in 10 minutes or so
i like man eaters, theyre fast and less can go wrong, most people prefer a self feed tho, theyre safer and can be machine fed larger pieces
but i started with a man eater, trick is to be clear when it grabs your brush and feed dead wood backwards if possible
youll need a bigger saw, 46 magnum is a good choice, youll need proper climbing gear and proper ropes, i like poison ivy and true blue
storm damage can be very dangerous to work, be safe, take some courses and what not, idk about new orleans but rainbow often holds training seminars in minnesota
removals are easy, get it down without wrecking anything or hurting yourself or someone else
trimming is an art as much as a science, learn what cuts to make and why, and how to make them properly
these guys are mad, you come off sounding like a fly by night hack and this is something weve dedicated our lives to
dont expect to get rich, expect to work your ass off, but you can make a decent living if you do it right
i dont know your budget but just what i wear in a tree runs upwards of 1k and im a minimalist

 

[no tree to big]

storm work and regular tree work are two completly different animals... I suggest start with the trees that might not just snap or explode when you hit it with a saw because it was stressed severely in the wind. this spring we were pulling massive hangers out of trees for our municiple contract and a piece that would normally take 5 min from first cut to last piece chipped would take a hour or more to fish out of the tree. it takes much more knowledge to properly tie off an unstable piece in a tree top then you probably have right now (talking big size chunks)

we were doing a storm damage removal and you could tell the part of the tree we were working on was severly strained but still looked solid and good enough to work without issue, as soon as the saw made it a 1/2" in the thing, maybe a 16" diamiter, instantly turned to tooth picks thank god it was a bucket job and the crane was properly setup and was able to take a slight shock load. any fema guy or similar is not going to give you the small jobs because your new at it you will roll down the road he will point and you will obey. you need to know how to "read" the wood and be able to do anything and the place to learn is not doing storm work

 

[ClimbMIT]

Thanks guys,
Really, really appreciate your advice! I am definetely going to take some classes. I do have some experience with hazardous tree removal, but very little. Nothing real big, but I am aware of how dangerous it can be. This is a great site and really glad i found it.

 

[tree MDS]

It's gonna take more than classes guy. How come everybody wants to just jump right in the mix these days... get a job dragging brush like you're supposed to, for ####s sake!!

Sorry... but seriously: I have no real experience, a TSC trailer, and a couple of wimpy little saws.. where can I get me some disaster relief work??

 

[ClimbMIT]

Started out dragging brush in 1996 working for a big tree service in New Orleans. Within a year I was climbing and realized i could make alot more money working for myself. So I decided to start my own business. It was a rocky road but I managed to do it. Anyway I have worked off and on through out the years. This time its going to be bigger and better. By the way its not the tools you have that makes you money, its the way you use them

 

[Blakesmaster]

Started out dragging brush in 1996 working for a big tree service in New Orleans. Within a year I was climbing and realized i could make alot more money working for myself. So I decided to start my own business. It was a rocky road but I managed to do it. Anyway I have worked off and on through out the years. This time its going to be bigger and better. By the way its not the tools you have that makes you money, its the way you use them

The problem is that you are years away from competing for these contracts. I have 10 times the equipment you do and I'm still years away.

A top notch contract climber can get away with minimal equipment as long as he has contacts all over with tree services. Your problem is tree services aren't looking for a "fairly confident" climber. You need to be good, damn good and have enough chainsaws, ropes, climbing and rigging gear to figure out every tree, any place, any time.