MISSOULA — While most of us went to work inside on Thursday, from the comfort of our own home or a cozy office, not everyone was that lucky.
MTN News caught up with a couple of electricians thawing out during their lunch break. Wearing work gloves instead of mittens, hard hats in place of sock caps, they braved the cold nonetheless.
On a normal day, you might call them construction workers, but with chilly temperatures and a bitter wind, it only seemed fitting to deem them “Heroes of the Cold,” on this freezing February day.
“You know, my ears are red and they're big, so people know that it's cold and it is excruciating pain depending on how many wire nuts you're twisting out there,” said electrician Chuck Brewer. His coworker Brandon Sales chimed in, “It’s cold!”
Zipping up and down Reserve Street, you might have spotted Sales and Brewer in their neon yellow work attire.
The two Powertech electricians hustled throughout the day, working on the new Mountain America Credit Union taking shape at the corner of North Reserve and American Way.
When asked if their line of work ever takes a snow day, they promptly responded with a laugh. “Uh, no,” said Sales, adding, “We’re supposed to be done by next week and we have to turn it over for inspection so we’re just busting things out.”
They try to work inside, but that’s not always an option in this field.
“We gotta get the job done,” said Brewer.
In true Montana fashion, the Heroes of the Cold got back to work and tried not to complain, but there was one question up in the air as the wind whipped around them.
“What’s cooler than being cool?” asked Sales. The answer, of course, “Ice cold," referencing the 2003 Outkast hit, "Hey Ya!"
