By CTAR Staff
Edmonton, Alberta — August 8, 2014 — Voices weren’t the only thing strained during this past weekend’s Big Valley Jamboree. The Edmonton Sun reported as many as six tow trucks were called to the scene, boosting car batteries drained by parked campers gathered to take in the country music festival, held annually in Camrose. Don Getschel of Fleetwood Towing and Recovery told the Sun campers’ repetitive actions like listening to the radio, keeping the lights running and charging phones were to blame for the state of the many vehicles he worked on. “. . .They want to listen to their music when they’re camping, and you’re not allowed fire so they also use it for lighting.” He says all of this overuse wore out the batteries, leaving them so weak, they wouldn’t start. Getschel, who attended to six cars and an RV Monday, says a number of voltage readings tallied in at less than half of the 12 to 14 volts a vehicle requires to properly start up. When asked about prevention, he says campers should make sure to start their engines occasionally if they plan on running the radio or turning on their headlights for extended periods. Practicing such preventative measures is something Breanna Jobb of Devon, Alta. and her two friends will take away from the experience. “We didn’t do the best job,” she says, noting how charging phones and leaving the doors open and lights on left her among the many needing a much-needed boost Monday. With plenty of dead batteries and illegally parked vehicles to tend to, Getschel says the Big Valley Jamboree always means big business for towers. He says on most weekends, they’ll receive around 50 calls. “On a weekend like this, we do 500.”
