Utilities
Paradox provides utilities companies with temporary matting access to areas that may be too rugged to access using traditional road building methods. This allows companies to access remote locations and complete important tasks without having to invest in costly infrastructure. We also provide comprehensive logistics support to ensure the safe, efficient and timely mobilization and demobilization of personnel and equipment. This includes the planning, organizing, and coordination of all necessary resources, personnel, and equipment to ensure the project is completed safely and efficiently.
Our Tough Cell® product can also provide a great temporary access solution over difficult terrain. This geocell is constructed from a high-strength, UV-stabilized proprietary material called Neoloy® that is filled with aggregate and provides an effective bridge between hard surfaces and soft terrain. It is easy to install, requires minimal maintenance, and can be quickly and easily removed when no longer needed. This geocell is an economical and sustainable solution for providing temporary access over difficult terrain and is built to withstand the extremes of Canadian weather.
Solutions
- MATTING – Oak mats with superior durability (rent or buy)
- ACCESS ROADS – Using Tough Cell® we can build roads in even the most challenging environments
- TRANSPORTATION – we have a fleet of trucks and trailers for all your matting project needs
Resources
Project Profile
Emergency Access Utilizing Wood Mats
We were on the front lines in Fort McMurray during the 2016 fire that destroyed much of Northern Alberta. The entire city of Fort McMurray was without power.
We had 20,000 mats to place in eight days to create a supply road so that the power company could reactivate the power lines.
There were several situations where we had to abandon our equipment because the fire turned on us—it even burnt some of our mats! We had to wear gas masks with cartridges in order to work in the smoky areas—to keep our staff safe. Due to the unpredictable nature of the wildfire, there were several situations where we were forced to evacuate and abandon our sites. While we never lost any equipment, some of our mats weren’t as lucky – burning up in the flames. In fact, contractors near us lost everything. A shift in the wind could both help or hinder our progress while we dealt with periods of either thick smoke so bad we needed to wear masks with oxygen cartridges or clear blue skies.
The Challenge
Picture this: wildfires are raging around you. It’s hot, you can’t see anything—thousands of people fleeing their homes from the choking smoke and devastating flames. All of this is happening, but you’re driving directly into it.
That’s what it was like for the Paradox team when we were contracted to conduct work in areas devastated by wildfire near Fort McMurray, Alberta in 2016. The project was a huge challenge for our team because we had to access remote areas that were as much as 10 kilometers away from the nearest roads, and 3-6 layers deep in muskeg!
We worked hard—We were faced with difficult and unique challenges like finding accommodations while allowing our team access to basic necessities like food, water, and rest. Our team faced extreme bad air quality and limited visibility. Yet everyone on our crew rose to the challenge and got the job done efficiently and successfully.
The Solution
Access to the power lines responsible for powering all of Fort McMurray was in the hands of Paradox.
When the fire was raging and everyone else was trying to get the fires contained, Paradox was focused on what we knew needed to be done. We laid 20,000 mats in 8 days—allowing much needed access to the power supply to restore power to the community. In doing so, we were able to get power back to Fort McMurray’s residents.
The Paradox Difference
This is Paradox: we’re the company that everyone calls when they need something done right the first time around.
We are adaptable, and we have been since our inception. We can take on any challenge—even wildfires—and this is what we needed to do in order to allow the power company to reactivate energy to Fort McMurray.
The Paradox Team, in conjunction with the amazing first responders on the scene, were truly the only people capable of completing such a massive undertaking.