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Josef Mackiewicz takes a water break sitting on the roof of a residential work site between Davenport and Chandler. More photos on Page 7A. Photo/Kendra Johnson.
Heat waves in the air are almost synonymous with Oklahoman summers and the weather is a good excuse to stay in the A/C-cooled atmosphere of their homes during the heat of the day, venturing out only for trips to the pool, lake or snow cone stand.
Those working outdoor jobs have to find other ways to beat the heat.
Calculated footsteps kept Josef Mackiewicz steady on the steep grade of the sun-heated roof as he knelt to grasp the plywood sheet that his coworkers handed up to him.
Conversation between the three men on the rooftop and the team on the ground was constant, as they warned each other to watch their balance and tossed water bottles up to their coworkers. For the crew of Charlie’s Roofing, Windows & More – where Mackiewicz works part time – communication, trust and an early start are essential parts of the job.
“You have to be willing to work hard and willing to get up early,” owner of the Chandler-based business Charlie Wilson said. “And sometimes stay late. If you’re afraid of work, don’t do this kind of work.”
Summer temperatures makes the choice of work times important.
“You have to get started real early in the morning in the summertime,” Wilson said. “And you’ve got to kind of get off around noon or so, before it gets too hot.”
What to do after the early work day is over?
“Hydration and out of the sun,” Mackiewicz said. “Nice, good, cold shower and relax.”
Mackiewicz’s precision on the rooftop belies his confidence.
“I’m still afraid of heights,” he said.
Practice has helped him adapt.
“You just trust yourself,” he said. “You get up there on something like that, you’ll kind of get the feel of things and start to have confidence in your body and what it can do and take it easy and be careful.”
His coworker Brenden Taylor said dealing with the heights was about concentration.
“You’re focusing on the work,” he said, “you’re really not focusing on how high up off you are.”
Attention to detail is important, especially when using a nailgun.
“Sometimes you forget your finger’s on the trigger and you shoot yourself in the leg,” he said. “That was the first 30 minutes of work, by the way.”
He started roofing at an early age. “My father was doing it for a while,”
“My father was doing it for a while,” he said.
“And first time I was on a roof I was about 13 and started doing it in the summertime for, you know, extra money and stuff. Summer job turned into a lifelong event.”