Lineman Lessons

You have outage questions. We have outage answers.

Aslinemen, we believe that when our members understand the nature of outages and how we respond to them, it builds a little bit of resilience. So, we'd like to take our space here in your monthly magazine to address some of the questions our members ask regarding outages. You've probably wondered about a few of these yourself, so keep on reading.

Can salt really cause power outages?

Answer: It sure can. That’s something unique to a service area with 32 miles of coastline. When strong winds blow a steady stream of salty air from the Gulf of Mexico, the resulting buildup can make equipment malfunction and power go out. The solution is to rinse the lines with high pressure water hoses.

Does Baldwin EMC prioritize outages based on what city they are in?

Answer: Not at all. The number of line crews we have make it possible for us to respond to multiple outages at the same time. So there’s no reason for us to prioritize some outages while ignoring others. If you see more of us responding to an outage in a particular location, it’s just because that one requires more manpower.

Shovel versus underground power line. Who wins?

Answer: No one. Hitting an underground power line with a shovel not only damages the line, it can cause severe injury and take out the whole neighborhood's electricity. That’s why we strongly recommend calling 8-1-1 to have underground lines located before you do any digging projects.

Are power outages always caused by something accidental?

https://www.ready.gov/kit

Answer: Not always. We sometimes take certain sections of our system offline to safely perform upgrades and maintenance. These outages are usually planned in advance, and affected members are notified by phone.

What happens when members are using too much electricity at once? Do you "run out?"

Answer: We wouldn't put it exactly like that, but occasionally, extreme heat waves or cold snaps can cause extreme overloads on our system. This can lead to outages. We try our best to predict when this might happen, and ask our members to conserve energy when it does.

Do bad weather conditions stop you from working on power lines?

Answer: Sometimes. We're not bothered by rain, but high winds are a different story. When they exceed 30 miles per hour, industry-wide safety regulations prohibit us from operating the aerial lifts on our bucket trucks. Lightning also poses a safety risk, and icy road conditions can also affect our ability to travel safely, and that has to be considered when we're planning our outage response.

Is it true that Baldwin EMC linemen once responded to an outage caused by a fish on a pole?

Answer: That is true…although we aren’t completely sure how it got there. Our best guess is that one of our local osprey was carrying the fish and dropped it there. Do you have a question you'd like us to answer? Send it to bemcinfo@baldwinemc.com.

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A Pop Quiz From The Green And Tan

We've answered some questions, now it's your turn. Test your outage restoration knowledge with this fill-in-the-blank quiz. Answers are below.

1. High-voltage ____________ lines are the large towers and cables that supply power to substations and the greatest number of consumer-members. They rarely fail, but if they do, they have to be repaired first.

2. Nex t, crews inspect ________________ for damage. They determine if the problem stems from the lines feeding into the equipment itself, or if the problem is further down the line.

3. If the problem still can’t be pinpointed, ________________ power lines are inspected. These are the lines you typically see on the side of the road that deliver power to communities.

4. If the power outage persists, supply lines (also known as tap lines) are inspected. These lines deliver power to transformers that are either mounted on poles or placed on _______ for underground electric service.

5. If your home remains without power, the service line between the _______________ and your home may need repairs.