There's a classic bear safety poem that goes like this, "If it's brown lay down, if it's black fight back, and if it's white, say goodnight." Polar bears are quite possibly the most fearsome and deadly animal you could come across despite what the Coca-Cola commercials tell us. In fact, one Alaskan oil field has its own tornado siren for if a polar bear is nearby in the area.
It's one measure to keep workers safe. Speaking with Cowboy State Daily, welder Tex McBride opens up about what it's like to work on an oil field in the remoteness of Alaska. Overall, he seems to enjoy the wilderness.
"It's frickin' awesome. I love it up here," he said. "This is one of those places, you're either going to love it or hate it. There's no bars up here. It's just eat, sleep and work until it's time to fly out."
Given the wildness, McBride said there are polar bears as well as plenty of grizzlies in the area. Polar bears reign supreme on the list of animals you do not want to mess with. "They're frickin' huge. They can be, like, twice the size of a Wyoming grizzly," McBride said. "They can be 10 feet tall when they stand up."
Polar Bears And A Warning System
According to the welder, there are safety measures to keep workers safe. McBride works for a drilling company on Alaska's North Slope. The oil fields have sometimes 14,000 people working out there. So how do they avoid being attacked by polar bears? Well, the welder said there are security that patrol the perimeters of the oil field.
"Everybody's always on the lookout for a grizzly or a polar bear, and if you see one, you let security know, or let your supervisor know, so they can get the word out," he said.
If they spot one, then there's a warning system "like a tornado siren" that goes off. It's basically a warning to tell everyone to watch out. The company also has steel bear fencing as well.
"When you come out of man camp, you pass through these cages," McBride said. "That gives you a chance to look around for a bit to make sure there's no bears in the vicinity."
As part of his job, it's leaving the wildlife alone.
"We're not allowed to haze the animals or harass them or do anything like that," he said. "We have to let them do their thing. And if they're in our way on road, we just have to wait."
