Hot summer weather is here and so are the challenges of working outside in the heat of the day.
We’ve put together a series of articles about people whose jobs have them sweating in the sun.
This week it’s Chandler Code Enforcement Officer Scott Wintz.
Imagine walking through weeds up to your waist or an abandoned building with no airflow in over 90 degrees Fahrenheit on a daily basis.
For Chandler Code Enforcement Officer, Scott Wintz this scenario is a reality and what he’s called his job for more than 20 years.
As the head of Chandler Code Enforcement, Wintz inspects the town for potential violations and enforcing its laws and regulations on local properties. “When they get the walls stood, in those, especially in the summer months can be pretty warm inside the building, especially when you don’t have airflow or electricity,” Wintz said.
“The other stuff I do is weeds and grass or vacant houses.”
For Wintz, the one constant is enduring the weather while working, no matter the specific task.
Between inspecting new and vacant buildings, and weed and grass violations, Wintz finds himself enduring the summer heat on a daily basis.
“I try to work around the weather if possible,” Wintz said.
“But when a contractor calls for inspection I just have to go do that whenever they’re ready.” When he is summoned to inspect, he shares that it often involves walking through grass that gets up to four feet tall, addressing it saying: “You have to walk through it,” Wintz said. “Four feet then you don’t know what’s under there.”
What’s even worse is when he’s working in an abandoned or unkept building filled with trash and even human waste.
To Wintz, the heat is not the major dilemma, but the boiling temperatures combined with these factors are what bring difficulty inspecting. The high summer heat amplifies the tough aspects of being the Code Enforcement Officer, which Wintz endures at least four hours daily.
It’s clear conditions are less than ideal for the inspector, but due to the fact he can spend part of his day working indoors, he insists there are much tougher jobs in regards to working in the heat.
“Fireman, Policeman, Ambulance and Public Works have it a lot worse than I do… at least with mine I can come and go,” Wintz said.
While that is probably true, there is no denying the adversity in Wintz’s work.
As Code Enforcement Officer, Wintz upholds property regulations and laws in Chandler, while regularly putting up with blistering heat amid less than ideal circumstances.