Lessons
learned T
Cindy Hefner Manager of Public Rela ons
he fi rst threat of treacherous winter weather came and went, doing li le in our area. For that, I am thankful. I am also thankful to work for a u lity that plans ahead and uses past experience to improve reliability and response me, just in case Mother Nature doesn’t take it easy on us.
As many of you may remember, 2007 wreaked havoc on our area with two ice storms—one in January and again in December. By evalua ng the result of those storms, we have been able to make changes to our electric distribu on system that improved reliability and shortened response me. These changes include:
• Older conductor that had become bri le over me was changed out to larger, new conductor.
• Many poles were changed to a larger diameter pole, while new construc on uses larger poles.
• The installa on of system-wide automa cally read meters allow us to see areas experiencing outages, even before calls begin coming in.
• Adding skid steers and track equipment for line crews allows us to gain faster access in remote and/or wet areas.
• The addi on of skid steers and excava ng equipment for right of way crews decreases the me needed to remove fallen trees, allowing line crews to make repairs.
As soon as the weather reports men oned the possibility of ice and inclement weather, storm prepara on began. A mee ng of all managers and supervisors was held to go over areas of concern and to make prepara ons. Areas addressed in the week before the predicted ice storm included:
• The inventory of line materials and poles was checked to ensure an adequate supply. Vendors were put on no ce of a poten al need for delivery for addi onal inventory.
• Trucks and equipment were prepared and fueled. Crews ensured their trucks were equipped with chains, de-icer, and any needed hand tools.
• Contractors were put on no ce to be prepared to respond. This not only includes line and right-of-way contractors, but also heavy equipment contractors supplying bulldozers and wreckers to help clear roads and keep our trucks able to respond.
• Food was purchased to be able to prepare meals for employees and to be able to send crews out with addi onal snacks and drinks to keep them hydrated and energized.
• Needed offi ce equipment was put through a series of tests to ensure their reliability during an outage. The IT department tested our computer and phone systems; and facili es management performed a test of a generator system to power cri cal offi ce opera ons.
• We worked to inform members on social media with safety informa on and some dos and don’ts during an outage.
We did get lucky with the weather this me, but I want you to know that your coopera ve is paying a en on and preparing to meet your needs.
February 2017 - 3
Northeast Connection is published monthly to communicate with the members of Northeast Oklahoma Electric Cooperative.
Offi cers and Trustees
PRESIDENT - Dandy A. Risman, District 5 VICE PRESIDENT - John L. Myers, District 4
SECRETARY-TREASURER - Benny L. Seabourn, District 2
ASST. SECRETARY-TREASURER - Everett L. Johnston, District 3 Harold W. Robertson, District 1 Sharron Gay, District 6
James A. Wade, District 7 Bill R. Kimbrell, District 8 Jimmy Caudill, District 9
Management Team Anthony Due, General Manager
Larry Cisneros, P.E., Manager of Engineering Services Susanne Frost, Manager of Offi ce Services Cindy Hefner, Manager of Public Relations Tim Mixson, Manager of Operations
Connie Porter, Manager of Financial Services
Vinita headquarters: Four and a half miles east of Vinita on Highway 60/69 at 27039 South 4440 Road. Grove offi ce: 212 South Main.
Business hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Offi ces are closed Saturday, Sunday and holidays. Available 24 hours at: 1-800-256-6405
If you experience an outage: 1. Check your switch or circuit breaker in the house and on the meter pole to be sure the trouble is not on your side of the service.
2. When contacting the cooperative to report an outage, use the name as it appears on your bill, and have both your pole number and account
number ready.
Please direct all editorial inquiries to Communications Specialist Clint Branham at 800-256-6405 ext. 9340 or email
clint.branham@
neelectric.com.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
If you wish to fi le a Civil Rights program complaint of dis- crimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found on-line at
http://www.ascr.usda. gov/complaint_fi
ling_cust.html, or at any USDA offi ce, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information request- ed in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Offi ce of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Av- enue, S. W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at
program.intake@
usda.gov.
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