Cooperative Living June 2024 - 22

SMART CONNECT
Getting the Lights Back On
Anatomy of a power outage
by Scott Flood, Contributing Columnist
A
stray bolt of lightning connects
a menacing cloud with a power
pole about a mile east of your
home. Your lights fl icker briefl y before
going out. Th ings become eerily quiet as
all your home's devices equipped with
motors and fans stop providing their
constant symphony of background noise.
You're experiencing a power outage,
so you reach for your cellphone and
call your electric co-op. Good move.
At the co-op, they estimate that
about 500 members are in the dark as
a line crew tosses their dinners aside
and start steering their trucks in your
direction.
About 20 minutes later, the
lineworkers slowly drive along a stretch
of road, keeping one eye on traffi c
while inspecting every pole, wire and
transformer. In another eight minutes,
they stop and step out for a closer look.
Th e mystery is solved with one glance
at the burn mark across the surface
of the transformer. Readying the truck
and ensuring it's safe, they move closer
to the line.
Outages can occur from a variety
of causes, including fallen trees,
vehicle crashes and even curious
critters, like snakes and squirrels.
SAFETY FIRST
If you are out watching the
lineworkers, you might mistakenly
assume they're not very motivated.
Aſt er all, there's a power outage, you
want it to end as soon as humanly
possible, and it looks like they're simply
taking their sweet time while you're
missing the ballgame. But there's a good
reason the lineworkers aren't rushing
or running around.
Th ose power lines carry high-voltage
electricity. It's safe when all elements
of the system are in good working order,
but it's potentially deadly when that's
not the case. Lineworkers approach
what they do deliberately, effi ciently -
and most of all, safely. Every action they
take is carefully planned so they can
spot potential hazards.
No two power outages are the same,
but when trees fall or poles need to be
replaced, restoration time can take longer.
20 * Cooperative Living * June 2024
When performing tasks, they
follow standard procedures and safety
requirements to ensure the repair is
eff ective and sound. Working that way
may take a little extra time, but it means
they'll make it home safely at the end
of the day or night.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
Less than an hour aſt er fi nding the
cause of the outage, the lineworkers load
their tools and gear back onto the trucks.
Th is time, the problem was easy to spot,
the repair was fairly straightforward
and the weather cooperated. But no
two outages are exactly alike. Th e next
one could be in severe weather or on a
remote segment far off the main road.
It could involve a fallen tree that needs
to be cut with chainsaws or a broken
utility pole that needs to be replaced.
Doesn't matter, because lineworkers
will always get to the location and fi x
the problem as quickly as safety allows.
Driving back to the co-op, the
lineworkers watch the passing homes
and smile, because the warm glow
coming from the windows means the
power is back on again. A couple of
homeowners in their yard wave as the
trucks pass by. Th ey may not know
why the electricity went off and what
was involved in bringing it back, but
thanks to the lineworkers, life is back
to normal.
*
Scott Flood writes for the National Rural
Electric Cooperative Association.
co-opliving.com
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living June 2024

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