The Fire Within – Cliff Meidl’s Story

Cliff Meidl was 20 years old in the mid 80’s when he was operating a jackhammer and struck three buried electrical cables. 

In that moment he couldn’t tell you if he was dead or alive. But he survived. When he left the hospital, he wasn’t able to use his legs at all. His knee bone was completely gone and doctors were talking with him about amputation. 

He was prescribed physical therapy and told to do it three times a week. He ended up doing it three times a day. 

It was a determination that didn’t play out overnight. It was a perseverance, a dedication – A Fire Within that pushed Cliff through severe depression and even onto exceptional opportunities. 

His upper body grew stronger… and stronger. 

Cliff went on to represent the United states at both the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Kayaking. At the games in Sydney, he was the flag bearer for his country. 

In this episode, Cliff’s incredible story

Guest: Cliff Meidl
Website https://cliffmeidl.com/  

Follow The Safety Moment via Utility Safety Partners on Twitter @Utility_Safety
We’re also on Instagram @click_before_you_dig
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Transcript

Announcer (00:02):

You are listening to the Safety Moment Podcast by Utility Safety Partners. Safety is always a good conversation and it's a click away. Here's your host, Mike Sullivan.

Mike Sullivan (00:16):

Welcome to the Safety Moment Podcast I'm Mike Sullivan, your host. And today we're going to be talking with Olympian Cliff Meidl. Now, Cliff is not just an Olympian, he's an very interesting guy and he was somewhat thrust into the safety world many years ago when he was severely injured in an industrial accident. Now, what has transpired since then is absolutely incredible in Cliff's life and he has been able to promote safety and promote awareness for overhead and buried utilities ever since. He's a super interesting guy and I really enjoyed my chat with him today. Cliff, welcome to the Safety Moment podcast. Great to have you on this show. I don't think we call it a show, but that's what I'm calling it a show cause I'm of that demographic. Thanks for being here. Appreciate it.

Cliff Meidl (01:07):

Yeah, thank you very much Mike. I'm honored to be on your show and I'm really looking forward to this.

Mike Sullivan (01:12):

Well, it's an opportunity for us to chat. We've met each other a number of times over the years and I've always been very impressed with you as a person obviously, but you know, have this great energy about you and you know, have a wonderful topic that you talk about. And for Utility Safety Partners, we did this unification a couple of years ago from Alberta One Call, which is Buried Utilities, and where's the line, which is Overhead Power Line Safety Awareness, and the Alberta Common Ground Alliance. We put all these together to become utility safety partners and in doing so, we took on the overhead power line safety awareness, and we're doing everything we can to do everything that the Where's the Line Campaign was doing and more. And I think we talked a little bit about that the last time we were together, just last week actually. And I think obviously the message that you bring is something that we can really build upon. But before we go there on, there's people who are listening in the US and other parts of the world, they know Cliff Meidl, but maybe some of our listeners here in Canada don't know Cliff Meidl. So I'm going to let you introduce yourself if you don't mind.

Cliff Meidl (02:31):

Oh, well thank you very much, Mike. Well, I'm very proud to be here and I always like to say that I got into safety, especially in damage prevention by accident, no pun intended. Yeah, literally. Yeah. So I was involved in a construction accident as a young guy when I was getting into the trades and had a severe accident. And that kind of spun around after many years. I kind of had to look in the mirror and ask myself, what is my of importance in life? And I always like to give back. And that's when I developed that sort of safety ambassadorship role. And I'm trying to go out there and promote the importance of now in the 811 industry of safe digging. But that all started many years before that as well when I was promoting my message in construction safety. So my goal is that if we can inspire one person to go home, come to work in a safe manner and go back home to their family, we have done our job and I've been trying to promote this for many years and try to save lives and talk about my story and hopefully that resonates with people out on the workforce.

Mike Sullivan (03:42):

Well, and what happened to you, I mean, we're going to talk with that a little bit, but it was an event that, and from my perspective has allowed the buried utility industry, the safety industry damage prevention industry for buried utilities to bridge to overhead power lines as well. Now you were involved in an incident where you struck a buried electrical cable, but obviously overhead power lines are everywhere as well, and it's allowing us to bridge that awareness. I, I'll talk about that in a little bit, but if you don't mind, maybe just take us back to that time, and I think you were just about 20 years old at the time, what happened that day? And I'm curious, I don't know if I've ever heard anybody ask, was there a locate request that day when the incident happened to you?

Cliff Meidl (04:30):

Yeah, the thing about it is that it was on private property where I was working at the time. So I really don't, I believe there was not and all that, but that's kind of where I take my spin on all this gives me the opportunity to really promote the importance of safety awareness and damage prevention by saying that hey, no matter what situation you're in, we got to have that behavioural awareness, meaning that we have to know what's below. Yes, as our slogan is in the damage prevention industry is know what's below. And then you also have to know what's above. Because as you had said earlier, is that that marriage per se of being able to do underground and overhead is critical because in the industry and throughout the entire country that electrical accidents and electrical fatalities are still one of the leading causes of death and in the occupation. So I think really going out there and spreading that awareness is the important message.

Mike Sullivan (05:24):

Now, I mean this incident that happened to you, it was obviously a life changing event and you know, lived with it ever since you were 20 years old, you were operating a jackhammer, you struck a buried utility electrical utility, and you know, went through really hell obviously, and here you are today as a spokesperson, but what's truly amazing is that even after the incident happened is you went on to be an Olympian and you know, were in kayaking and you represented the US in Kayaking in Australia. I mean, it's incredible when you think about it. I mean this is obviously upper body strength, but the ability to move on and it's a testament to you as a person, but how did you muster that mental fortitude? You must have had an enormous amount of support, family and friends and that will to move on.

Cliff Meidl (06:27):

Yeah, I think that that's a big packed question there. It has a lot in it is, and yeah, I'll start with the first part about the accident and everything in and a lot of things that people don't realize When you're looking at work site safety and you're looking at why do we get involved in accidents and why do people get involved in incidents and things like that, A lot of the things that we really don't realize is kind of looking at this as the inverted iceberg. Oftentimes we see the tip of the iceberg where we learn or are involved in some sort of work site incident, whether it's a minor incident or it can be a very major incident or something traumatic. It happened to me. But a lot of times what we don't realize is what lies beneath the circumstances. And I could tell you at my time I was injured, nearly lost my life, as you said, my network that I had around me.

(07:20):

I've had a lot of different people all the way from on the job site. I've had mentors there and I looked up to a lot of people and that's just who I was as a young kid is I was a big dreamer number one, which really helped me out later on in life. But at the same time, I really looked up to, I don't want to say the elders on the job site, but those people that were more seasoned. So when we say seasoned, we talk about experience and that was me. I really grasped after that. So there was a very big substantial loss that I had when I was no longer able to go to work and be a part of this, to be a part of the culture, the work culture, being a young man or even many people out in our audience, young women that are out there working on the side.

(08:07):

But it was that need and that quest to be a part of something, which I believe looking back and unpeeling the onion, we as human beings want to be a part of something and we want to be a part of something successful. And that had an enormous absence for me after I was in the accident. But looking at the what's underneath the water with the iceberg, I could tell you I wouldn't even know if I was dead or alive when I hit those power lines. I jackhammered into three cables with 41 60 and it was like that lights out. I couldn't tell you if I was dead or alive. But what I can tell you is, is that all of this responsibility and all of what one has to deal with when you're in a work site issue was now in the lap of my mother and my parents.

(08:55):

I didn't know what was going on. I had mentioned before, I didn't know if I was dead or alive, but my mother had to bear the brunt. And a lot of times we don't really realize how that impacts not only the family, but how it impacts us for many, many years thereafter. And that's one of the things that I like to really hit home. We learn a lot about safety when we're out there. We have the training, we have the education and all that, but that whole emotional appeal on why it is so important to be able to not only be safe ourselves, but also be able to tell other people to be safe as well out on the work side is just a critical matter.

Mike Sullivan (09:40):

When you think of an incident, think of this moment in time where it happened, then the life goes on. But there are so many people impacted by an event like this beyond yourself, obviously your family, your mom, the emergency responders, your coworkers, the physicians, the health organizations that helped you get through. Everybody is affected by this and yet you're at the centre of this. And yes, the support is there, but at the same time a lot of it comes down to you as the person, you're at the centre of this and you have to get through this. What did you have as a vision? What kept you motivated to continue on? I mean this comes from within.

Cliff Meidl (10:24):

Yeah, is it's like I title a lot of my presentations The Fire Within. It comes within us and it's up to us to ultimately make the choice. I was very fortunate that I had survived the incident, but it was a long process that I had to go through. Oftentimes we hear a person talk about a story and it seems like things happened overnight, but they don't. There's ups and downs and I can guarantee our audience members there are more downs than there are ups in situations like that. But I think that if one was a really pinpoint, what was that thing that I had inside me that made me want to continue through whether I was amazingly depressed. There was a lot of times where I was going through a massive depression physically I couldn't do things. There was a lot of times where myself and my family were up against a wall where I was going to lose both of my legs. And a major thing happened, a turning point at that point, and I'll talk about that in a little while. But I think that the apple doesn't far fall far from the tree. My parents both ironically immigrated from Canada.

Mike Sullivan (11:31):

Oh, they're talking about that at some point as well.

Cliff Meidl (11:32):

Yeah, the thing about it is that my parents were hard workers. I mean a lot of our audience member are very hard workers. And I think that was instilled in my brother and myself that we always have to push and work hard. And that is what got me through my adversity. It was the thirst to be able to be a normal kid because I was so ashamed. Ultimately, we're talking six months, a year, two years down the road of what had happened to me that I didn't want people to see what I physically looked like at the time. I had a lot of scars all over me. And I think it was that quest and the hard work and the determination that got me through the whole process.

Mike Sullivan (12:09):

It's a testament to everybody around you and obviously to you yourself. And then you went on. Right. I So you are always rowing, you're always kayaking. I gather. That was something, well, you're a very physical guy and it sounds like hearing a little bit about your brother and you a little bit, maybe you push each other in that regard as well, some healthy camaraderie there. But how did you get back into it?

Cliff Meidl (12:36):

Well, that was an interesting way. When I got out of the hospital, I was in the hospital for several months and one of the big challenges was is to try to get back to that normalcy. I wasn't able to use my legs. I had these massive lower leg limitations because when I received the severe electrical shock, I had about a third of the knee compartment that was burned on both of my legs. The kneebone was completely gone, and that's one of the reasons why they were considering amputation. But I got home and my brother, they had required me to do physical therapy. They basically said, here, you got to do it three times a week. And I ended up doing it three times a day. So I was very persistent at the time.

Mike Sullivan (13:18):

Why does that not surprise me?

Cliff Meidl (13:20):

I did have some times where I had some major fallbacks because I would overdo things, but you would learn about yourself and that was what that was. I was very fortunate. I was young, number one. And then I had the ability to be able to learn things, which was a critical part of it as well. But I think the big driving factor was, is I got to this point in time where my brother basically had told me, look in the mirror and what do you see? And the only thing that I was able to focus on at that time were my lower leg limitations. But what I didn't realize is that I developed a lot of upper body strength because I was using the crutches. I went from a wheelchair to the crutches and slowly started ambulating around that way. And so my brother came up with this wacky idea of getting involved in outrigger canoe paddling.

(14:07):

And I had done it once before. I had my accident many years before when I was 16, but so my brother Norm basically says, well, let's get involved in that. And I was so resistant to that. I said, there's no way were you, yeah, I was very ashamed of who I was. And the last thing I wanted to do is to get around a bunch of guys and gals and all that were all big and buff involved in this sport. But he basically got me to realize that it's not the lower leg limitations that you have, it's the mental limitations. And he convinced me to go down to the canoe club and use the tools that I have, not what I didn't have. And those tools were upper body and it was a great marriage because of the sport was an upper body sport and it didn't really require that much of legs. And here I went. Yeah.

Mike Sullivan (14:53):

And so here you go. You did it once, now you're really going into it whole hog. And how many years later did you find yourself you are the flag bearer at the Sydney Olympics? I mean, this didn't happen overnight either.

Cliff Meidl (15:07):

Yeah, it was a long process. But I was involved in canoe paddling for many years, for about 10 years. But then ultimately within that spectrum of outrigger canoe paddling, which is a cohesion sport, I also got introduced to Flatwater sprint kayaking, which is the same discipline, very similar discipline as the high Neal or Canadian canoe as it's a very difficult sport. So there were some role models of mine by the one guy by the name of Greg Barton that was a US Olympian. And then there was several other people, Wren Krishlaw, who was a Canadian kayaker. And so I was kind of seeing these guys and I was very impressed by it. So I got involved in that sport. And then after many years of training, ultimately 10 years after I had my accident, I found myself walking in to the opening ceremonies at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

(16:04):

And that was my first Olympics. And I could tell you that ever since I was a young little kid, I used to have this dream about competing in the large arena, but I never knew what it was. And ultimately I found out what that was going into the opening ceremonies, and it was just an incredible experience for me. And then four years later, I ended up continuing my kayaking ventures and trained like crazy. And then I made it to the Sydney Olympic Games, which you were describing in Australia. And that's when I had one of the most incredible honors. I didn't win any Olympic medals or anything, but I was able to carry the United States flag into the opening ceremony. And that was, that's

Mike Sullivan (16:44):

Amazing. I can't imagine how that must feel.

Cliff Meidl (16:47):

Yeah, it was insane. I remember. So I was so nervous. I still walk like Bambi because I'm still missing a third of the knee compartment in both legs. And here I am standing there, my heart's beating out of the chest. And I remember holding the American flag, and I remember taking this deep breath and I looked over my shoulder and the only thing I could see was the sea of red, white, and blue was the entire United States delegation following me into the opening ceremony. And that was the most proud moment in my life. Yeah.

Mike Sullivan (17:14):

Oh, no kidding. I had to be, words can't describe that. That's something that's just you experience and that's it. I mean, yeah, don't, how do you top that? Maybe This podcast is pretty amazing too. I'm sure

(17:31):

We're going to take the opportunity here to pump our own tires a little bit. Utility Safety Partners Safety Moment podcast has had over 2000 downloads. And when I think about that, our producer Stories and Strategies likes to remind me, Mike, you've just had coffee with 2000 people and he's right. That's absolutely right. We've been able to reach out to you as a listener individually or from a broad spectrum to talk about the things that mean a lot to us, not just from how you'd conduct a locate request or how we respond to a locate request, but to go well beyond that, to safety in general and wellness, which we had a chat today about. This is so important to us and we're so glad you're listening and you're so glad that you're actually downloading our episodes. And there's a host, a whole library of podcasts on our website or on Apple or Spotify or any of these services you're listening to podcasts on. Thanks for being a listener, thanks for downloading. And we are going to be here for a long time to come. And here you are today in your spokesperson, obviously for the free Damage Prevention and safety has no borders, thankfully, we contribute to each other's safety, whether it's across the community, across the city, across the country, around the world. And you've had opportunities to do that. And how many presentations do you think you've delivered now? And maybe you keep it tally, I don't know, but how many people do you think you've presented to over the years?

Cliff Meidl (19:11):

Oh, I don't know. There was probably thousands. I mean, I've had audiences where I've had very small groups, very intimate groups of a couple of people. And then I've had a stadium before that I've spoken to on a couple of occasions where there was 20,000 people in there and things like that. But the fact of the matter is, I can remember one of my first presentations in the safety arena that there was this gentleman from the Construction Council out of Chicago, and he was a really incredible guy and all that, a big mover in Shaker in the occupational health and safety industry. And so he saw me at the Olympics and invited me out to Chicago to do a speech. And I remember walking out on stage and there was like a thousand people and I nearly passed out. I was like, oh my God, but then what am

Mike Sullivan (19:57):

I doing? Yeah,

Cliff Meidl (19:58):

What am I doing here? But then it took me a while to be able to really understand really what is the purpose of all of this? And I had to have several reflection moments. And ultimately I got better and better over time as a speaker, which we all do if we dedicate ourselves. I kind of look speaking as a sport. I was very nervous doing it at first, but it, it's a competitive thing and you want to go out there and be the best that you can be. And I had to ask myself many times the question that, what is the objective here? And so that's where my platform came up with that. If I could inspire one person to go out there and work safe and be safe, I have definitely done my job. But being able to go out and be able to promote this, whether it's on radio, tv, doing podcasting or standing in front of groups, I really enjoy being able to speak to boots on the ground, people that are out there in the field that are working and just kind of reinforce, like I had mentioned before, we do safety training and education.

(20:57):

That's great. We have to continuously do that. It's like motivate motivation. Motivation is up and down. It's cyclical. We got to, it's like bathing, you know, got to go out there and constantly refresh yourself. But if I can really tap into the hearts of people and talk about that emotional and the behavioral part of safety, how important it is that before we get on the job site, we have to anticipate what we're going to be doing out there and having that 30,000 foot approach that look up, down mentality to be able to know what utilities are around. And I think that's a critical part behind that. And it takes that storytelling from time to time to be able to really realize, wow, that guy went through a hardship. And a lot of people in the audience are actually going through adversity as well. And I talk about transitioning through adversity as well. And it's a shared moment and with these shared moments, and if you can really tap into a person's emotions that can make the big difference if they're going to be working safe or not.

Mike Sullivan (21:58):

Yeah, you said boots on the ground and boy I, that's resonated so well with me. Something we've taken on now with the Where's the Line campaign, which was a very successful long-running campaign in Alberta to promote overhead power line awareness and reduce contacts with overhead power lines. And we've taken that on in our unification now as utility safety partners. And we've combined our radio advertising, our broad advertising, social media, you name it, to not only promote click before you dig, but to promote overhead power line safety as well. One of the things that we looked at is, okay, and you mentioned that broad awareness that like the layers of an onion type thing. And as you get closer and closer and closer to that center, you know, have the radio advertising, you have social media, have print advertising on podcasts like this, and how do we reach that person?

(22:56):

How do we reach that person who is about to do something and we, we've done everything we can, but how we reach that person who's about to do something. So we launched something, a pilot here just recently, and we talked about that last week when we were together. So now for utility safety partners under this pilot, when a person requests to locate and we identify the buried utilities in the vicinity of their excavation, and those utilities will have to respond if there are overhead power lines as well in the vicinity of that excavation. And those utilities above ground are registered with us, the location is registered with us, that excavator will also receive information that heads up there is an overhead power line nearby, stay seven meters safe, and here's a safety information. If you need more information, you can call this number. And the idea is that we can do everything we can before the person gets to site. And now when the person is on site, we can remind them again.

(24:02):

One of our colleagues that you and I both know Glenn Cookie Cook, he's got a very successful look up and live campaign. And what he said to me and said to so many people when we were together last week, the overhead power lines, they're right there, we can see them. And yet the first thing people will say when they experience an incident where they contacted no headline and lived to tell about it was I just didn't see it. So we're hoping that this campaign, new service we're providing will alert people at the last moment before they do anything that look up and live there. There's something there. And if we can reduce those contacts further now, I was surprised to learn that there really aren't that many one caller facility notification centers providing this service. And yet I believe Georgia, who you work closely with, Georgia 8 1 11, I believe they're doing something similar and they have been for a very long time. Am I right there?

Cliff Meidl (25:04):

Yeah, to my understanding, yeah, that Georgia 8 1 11 does involve that when you're putting in a ticket for doing a dig, that there is an awareness process of that where they are asking if there is overhead utilities as well. And I think that to your point, I think that oftentimes me living in Los Angeles, there is that type of awareness that's out there per se, not on the, I don't know how much it is on the eight 11 side of it, but on the click before you dig. But I do know that the utilities per se, for example, Southern California Edison, you see a lot of billboards throughout California. They got this great scroll campaign, which resonates really well. The squirrels holding a ladder and they talk about the proper distance for safety for overhead. But that was one of the things that is a great idea and it kind of really embodies that entire spectrum of safety because if we say that we want to go out there and save lives, that's what it is saving lives. So yeah, whether it's below ground or overhead, I think that is important to be able to have all of that stuff combined together.

Mike Sullivan (26:08):

I agree. I mean it just makes sense. We're been hyper-focused for decades now on knowing what's below. And I think we do a good job of that, providing awareness and providing a service that identifies bur utilities. And it wasn't until here in Alberta where we had that marriage of the below and the above grounded assets, energy and utility assets that we really started to, let's connect the dots here. It's not just advertising, it's not just about removing duplication here, it's about making things work better. And we're really focused on that. We want to hopefully have a successful pilot. And I'm not sure that one year is of data is enough to identify trends or to reduce the damages or the contacts. I think we need more data, but that's where we are right now and we'll get there. But I'm hopeful that the service makes sense to people, that they see the benefit and that they act accordingly if we can in inform or remind somebody, oh God, yeah, there's something.

(27:16):

There is something here and we are going to perform some activity with that could reach that height or then we could arc and that if we can just do that, then we're doing the right thing. Now, cliff, you mentioned that your family IMI immigrated to the US from Canada and you have a family in Canmore, Alberta. I understand. And we are having our 40th anniversary and safety conference a little over a year from now, the end of February, actually almost a year to the day in Banff, Alberta, 2024. It'll be our 40th anniversary. And I've already extended the invitation to you. I want, and I'm doing it here again on air, but I really hope that you'll have the time to come to Alberta to Banff and share your story with us. I want to bring Glen Cook out here as well. And there's so much to be said about this marriage of the buried utilities and overhead power lines and the safety and the awareness of all of that. But before I go there, and you're welcome here anytime, what is that connection you have beyond Mavis Safety and everything, all that family connection with Canada?

Cliff Meidl (28:35):

Well, during the 1960s, the early 1960s to my how I understand is this, Canada was a land of opportunity and there was a lot, in addition to the US having a lot of immigrants from Europe coming, so did Canada. So my grandfather on my mom's side of the family was a forester. So in Germany where my parents, both parents were from, one was, they were from different regions, but both were in Bavaria. But so my grandfather ended up coming to Canada because there was an opportunity for he to be able to work in Canada as a forester. So he comes over here and kind of tests the waters. And ultimately my mom's brothers, her two brothers and her sister come, and my mom was the last to come. But I think at that time, my grandmother actually went to Cornell. So she was in Cornell for a while, which is I believe right in the middle there.

(29:24):

And then as the years went by, my uncle stayed in Canmore there, but everybody else went to the West Coast, to Vancouver, where they lived in North Van for many years. But same thing with my dad, he came was a journeyman molder. So my father's side of the family, they all were working in a foundry. And that's one of the things that you see in a small town throughout Canada, throughout the United States, and even in Europe where a lot of the family succession, they kind of do some of the same things through the family. So we had, yes, many generations, family generations that were working in the steel mill. And so my dad basically said, okay, I'm going to Switzerland. And then he went to Switzerland, nothing happened for him over there. And he went back to Germany and then he came to Canada and he thought, definitely this is great. So in Winnipeg there was a big German community. So my dad went to this and it was happened to be construction. So my dad, he was always involved in some work one way or another. So here he is, couldn't speak a word of French or English. And he remembers he told the big

Mike Sullivan (30:26):

French community in Winnipeg as well.

Cliff Meidl (30:28):

Yeah, yeah. And he told me the story where a German guy that was hiring him for a job said, okay, you're going to need to go down the street. And he gave him directions, walk around the corner and tell the guy that Here is your name, and I'm here to have some work. So my dad's like studying, okay, how do I say this in English? So he's chanting along, walking through the snow in Winnipeg. My name is whatever, Mr. Meidl, I'm here to have some work. My name is Mr. Meidl, I'm here to have some work. And all of a sudden he gets right to the construction site and a car cuts him off and he completely forgets what he was supposed to say. So he ends up walking all the way back, the one

Mike Sullivan (31:06):

Car in Winnipeg.

Cliff Meidl (31:08):

He ends up walking back to the guy and he says that, what was I supposed to say again? And I'm sure the guy was like, oh boy. But ultimately, my dad found himself in construction there and worked for many years. And then both my parents met in Vancouver and then they came down to Laguna Beach, California Air and did a little bit California tour. And then that was it. They ended up, my dad were working for the airlines for many years, ended up staying here in Los Angeles. It was a prime area for him.

Mike Sullivan (31:34):

Well, obviously a nice place. What a beautiful place in the world to be. I don't think you have to shovel rain, which is kind of nice. I know you're getting some rain today, you said earlier, but here we are in Calgary, Alberta, and it's been cold. It's looking at my screen right now, we're at minus seven. This is wonderful weather, actually not a cloud in the sky. And so we're pretty good shape. Now, when you come to Banff next year, about this time, it could be 30 degrees warmer than this, or 30 degrees colder, but chances that would be on the colder side. If you remember back in the 88 Olympics, they actually had the truck in snow for the Winter Olympics here in Calgary because it was plus 15 or 16 or 17 at the time. Anything can happen, anything can happen. And just like a work site, anything can happen. You got to be prepared. Cliff, thanks so much for joining us. I really appreciate it. Appreciate having you on today on the safety moment, and I really look forward to seeing you again soon. And if that's before next year, great. And obviously if not, then we'll see you here in Alberta in February, 2024.

Cliff Meidl (32:43):

Yeah, I look forward to it. And thank you very much for having me, Mike, on this program. And for all our listeners out there, remember, work safe and stay healthy.

Mike Sullivan (32:53):

And that's the way it was. Just kidding. That's going to wrap things up on the Prairie Podcast. I want to thank our guest, cliff Meidl for joining us today. That was an inspiring story, and if you ever get the chance to meet Cliff, you'll really appreciate the man and you'll, you'll be better off for meeting him. I want to thank our producers stories and strategies that, and I hope you'll choose to follow this podcast on any directory you're listening on. And please do leave a rating. It means a lot to us. You can follow us on Twitter at Utility underscore Safety, and we're also on Instagram and Facebook. If you'd like to send us a note, maybe you have an episode idea, maybe you can just email us that episode idea at in info at utility safety ca and please place podcast and big black letters, bold letters in the subject header. I'm Mike Sullivan, the president of Utility Safety Partners. Click to know what's above and below. One click costs you nothing. Not clicking could cost you everything.