Kyle Johnston

Alive for 35 years and counting, Married for almost five of those, and a dad for three of those years too. Somewhere in between all of that, I have found myself working in technology related fields since I finished school. I learned after a few years that working with my hands and not being behind a desk are two important aspects of any job I want. About the same time wireless networking was really taking off. It seemed like a perfect match… and 10 years later I am still working with wireless! Now my working days range from installing a radio link between two buildings, to building radio towers for wireless Internet providers. Not happy with just the minimum requirements, I switched from traditional tower access and rescue methods to rope access certifications. Starting with the Industrial Rope Access Trade Association (IRATA) and later adding in Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians (SPRAT) certifications. The long standing safety record, a rescue system that is integrated into the working system, and a standardize training program that is followed world wide made this approach much better. Rope access is also used in many different fields of work, opening up more doors that relying only on the wireless industry. Six years later, I hold IRATA level 2, SPRAT level 3 certifications, and have logged over 5000 hours on rope. There are a growing number of wind turbines in Ontario. Rope access crews are used for many external and internal maintenance tasks. In the past few years, I have been spending an increasing number of hours on wind farms performing tasks like fiberglass blade repairs, control cable upgrades and removing oil and grease from the towers. I am an amateur woodworker, with more than few sets of shelves and a toy box for my daughter under my belt. A bed for my son is up next! More to come as soon as I get some time. I cook to relax, and love to not only try making new foods, but trying to find a great wine pairing to go with it. Home is in Mount Forest, Ontario, about a two hour drive north west of Toronto.