LIGHT POST
C O N C E R N F O R R E L I A B I L I T Y
10 THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT POWER RESTORATION
Y E A R
B r e t t O r m e
L o r e m i p s u m d o l o r s i t a m e t , c o n s e c t e t u r a d i p i s c i n g
e l i t . I n n e q u e n u n c , m o l e s t i e e u s e m
Have you ever watched a video or TV show where a person is cooking a meal, then suddenly, they snap their fingers, and the meal is plated and ready to eat? That’s called a jump cut. While we wish we could “jump cut” from a power outage to power restoration, it can often take a lot more effort and people to make it happen.
R E A D M O R E
L o r e m i p s u m d o l o r s i t a m e t , c o n s e c t e t u r a d i p i s c i n g
e l i t . I n n e q u e n u n c , m o l e s t i e e u s e m p e r i d , a u c t o r q u i s
m e t u s . M a e c e n a s m a t t i s m e t u s s a p i e n , v i t a e u l t r i c i e s
n u n c o r n a r e v i t a e P r a e s e n t m o l l i s n i s l m a g n a , a c
d i c t u m m a s s a s c e l e r i s q u e a t S e d l a o r e e t l i g u l a v i t a e
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j u s t o l u c t u s , v e l i a c u l i s l e o s c e l e r i s q u e
R E A D M O R E
m a g n a , a c d i c t u m m a s s a s c e l e r i s q u e a t S e d l a o r e e t
l i g u l a v i t a e j u s t o l u c t u s , v e l i a c u l i s l e o s c e l e r i s q u e
Two area teens recently returned from an unforgettable trip to Washington D.C. known as Youth Tour. The all-expenses paid, seven-day trek through America’s capital inspires hardworking students who earn themselves this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 >>
L o r e m i p s u m d o l o r s i t a m e t , c o n s e c t e t u r a d i p i s c i n g e l i t . I n n e q u e n u n c , m o l e s t i e e u s e m p e r i d , a u c t o r q u i s m e t u s . M a e c e n a s m a t t i s m e t u s s a p i e n , v i t a e u l t r i c i e s n u n c o r n a r e v i t a e . P r a e s e n t m o l l i s n i s l m a g n a , a c d i c t u m m a s s a s c e l e r i s q u e a t . S e d l a o r e e t l i g u l a v i t a e j u s t o l u c t u s , v e l i a c u l i s l e o s c e l e r i s q u e .
W I N T E R V E G E T A B L E G A R D E N I N G
B y H o w a r d O n g
,
CEO BRETT ORME
A WORD FROM THE CEO
H A P P Y N E W Y E A
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As the CEO of Kiamichi Electric Cooperative, I’m accustomed to members’ questions about power outages and why it can take time to get the lights back on. Given our reliance on electricity, there’s simply never a good time to be without it.
This month, I’d like to shed light on our restoration process to help our members understand what may be happening behind the scenes. Here are 10 things you might not know about restoration:
1. We need you. When your power goes out, it might be just at your home or small section of a neighborhood. There is a chance we may not know about it, and no one has reported it. We rely on you to let us know if your power is out. You can do that by giving us a call or, if you hear a busy signal, we encourage using your KEC mobile app.
around high voltage electricity, our crews are on alert for wild animals, weather elements, falling trees and fast-moving cars. (If you ever drive past one of our vehicles, please do so slowly.)
7. Flickering lights are a good thing. Some folks mistake flickering lights for outages, but these “blinks” are important because they indicate our equipment worked and prevented a possible outage likely caused by wayward animals or stray tree limbs on the lines.
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2. Our employees might be affected too. Because KEC is a local electric cooperative owned by the members we serve, our employees are local too. They are your neighbors, friends and familiar community volunteers. When you’re without power, our people might be too.
3. It’s a team effort. Every one of KEC’s employees are working to get your power restored as soon as possible. Our member services representatives are taking your calls, engineers and field staff are surveying damage, our vegetation management team is clearing hazards, dispatchers are organizing crews, and communicators are keeping everyone informed of progress or potential dangers. When your power goes out, we all work together as quickly and safely as possible to get you back to normal.
4. We assess the situation first. Every outage is different, and we don’t know how dangerous it is or what equipment might need to be replaced. When responding to outages, we first need to see what happened, then figure out what materials we need and a plan for how to fix the problem(s) without compromising electric flow for the rest of our members.
8. You need a backup plan. We do our best to help those who need it, but if you depend on electricity for life support purposes, you must have a back-up plan—remember, we don’t always know how long restoration efforts will take. If you’re unsure what to do, call us so we can help you prepare an emergency location.
9. Our employees have to plan, and eat. If you ever see our trucks in a restaurant parking lot while your power is out, know that sometimes our employees huddle in a safe, common area to map out their plan for getting your power back on. Also, our crews work long hard hours during outages and need to take time for meals just like everyone else.
10. Sometimes it’s a waiting game. Our portion of the power grid is connected to other electric utilities, and we maintain positive relationships with power providers interconnected to our system. If our outage is due to an issue from their feed into our system, we must let them do their repairs and be mindful of what they’re going through to fix it. We do our best to avoid power disruptions, but they are inevitable from time to time. If the lights go out, know that your co-op team is working as quickly and safely as possible to restore power.
BOARD OF D
RON PELACONI, PRESIDENT
DISTRICT 3
RUSTY SHAW, VICE PRESIDENT
DISTRICT 1
5. Restoration is normally prioritized by the largest number of members we can get back on in the shortest amount of time. Our crews focus on responding first to public safety issues and critical services, then we complete work that impacts the largest of number of people first.
AMY MILLER, TREASURER
DISTRICT 2
DAVID RAY
6. Our employees face many dangers. Besides working
DISTRICT 4 E X E C
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WINTER VEGETABLE GARDENING
5 A W E S O M E T
B y O l i v i a W i l s o n
More than 60 students, supported by 20 of Oklahoma’s electric co-ops, traveled to the nation’s capital to see the awe-inspiring monuments up close and personal in June. KEC’s Youth Tour delegation included Shooter Boatright and Deacon Boatright from Kiowa Public Schools. The students were awarded the trip after successfully completing the Youth Tour contest in March.
I P S
P L A N T I N G T I P S
“I continue to be proud of the students in our area who represent KEC in Washington [D.C.],” said CEO Brett Orme.
friendships.
In addition to personal growth, the relationships formed during this week often endure into college and beyond.
Congratulations to KEC’s well-deserved Youth Tour winners of 2024. More information will be announced this fall for those interested in entering the 2025 Youth Tour contest.
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In the capital, students toured historic sites and monuments, attended an interactive question-andanswer session with Oklahoma’s Congressional delegation and made life-long friends while learning about what it means to be a youth advocate in their community. Students also attended Youth Day with over 1,500 Youth Tour winners from around the country.
Among a packed schedule, students visited Arlington National Cemetery, the Pentagon 9/11 memorial and a tour of Smithsonian museums.
Oklahoma U.S. Congressman Markwayne Mullin continued his tradition of giving the Oklahoma Youth Tour group a private after-hours tour of the Capitol. Congressman Mullin guided the group through areas usually off-limits, like the House of Representatives floor.
D O O R F A R M I N G
The young leaders came home with a newfound sense of purpose and appreciation. In addition to their development, throughout they gained newfound
Back-to-School Granola Bars
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• 3 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
INGREDIENTS
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup miniature
DIRECTIONS
Renewables Report
semisweet chocolate chips
• ½ cup sweetened dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sweetened condensed milk, butter, coconut, almonds, chocolate chips and cranberries with your hands until well blended. Press flat into the prepared pan.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, depending on how crunchy you want them. Lightly browned just around the edges will give you moist, chewy bars. Let cool for 5 minutes, cut into squares then let cool completely before serving.
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Recipe from AllRecipes.com
Data collected from Western Farmers Electric Cooperative — KEC’s wholesale power provider — reflects generation during May 2024, which shows 32 percent of the power generated by WFEC potentially come from renewable sources.
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Campers Return from Energy Camp
Two students represented KEC at this year’s Energy Camp, sponsored by Oklahoma’s electric cooperatives. Kashen Beshear and Quinn Brady joined 75 of Oklahoma’s exceptional rising high schoolers who were selected by their sponsoring cooperatives to attend camp this year, which took place at Canyon Camp in Hinton, Oklahoma.
“This year’s camp was one of the best ever,” said Stacy Howeth, OAEC Director of Member Services and Energy Camp director. “This year’s campers were fun, smart, creative and respectful! It truly was a great group.”
Through various activities at Energy Camp, campers gained a wealth of information about the cooperative business model, power source generation, electric safety, the history of Oklahoma’s electric cooperatives and new leadership and communications skills.
The campers experienced the cooperative
business model firsthand by electing a board of directors who then interviewed and hired a camp manager. The elected directors and camp manager maintained leadership roles during camp operations.
Additional camp activities included handson electric safety demonstrations including pole climbing, tabletop demonstrations and an Energy Battle Tournament (a quiz bowl style challenge about electric cooperative trivia). Campers also had a crash course on professional life skills such as budgeting, career options, working with people of different personality types, how to write and mail thank you notes and interview tips and tricks. Energy Camp is coordinated by the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives. Campers are selected and sponsored by Oklahoma’s rural electric cooperatives.
