MAY 2020
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4 COMMON CULPRITS OF ELECTRICAL FIRES Outdated wiring and overloaded circuits are the most common causes of electrical fires. Check the following areas of your home to ensure your home’s electrical safety is up to par.
National Electrical Safety Month
Electrical outlets: Faulty electrical outlets are a leading cause of home fires. As outlets age, so do the wires behind them that you can’t see. Any loose, damaged or warm-to-the-touch outlets should be repaired or replaced.
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Operation Round Up report
A supplement to the Oklahoma Living
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Electrical wiring: Outdated wiring is another common cause of electrical fires. Frequently tripped breakers, flickering lights and burning smells are clear warning signs. If your home is more than 20 years old, it may not be able to handle today’s increased power load. If you suspect your home’s wiring is outdated, leave this one to the pros and contact a qualified electrician.
Fruit salad with lemon dressing recipe
PUBLISHED FOR MEMBERS OF KIAMICHI ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
Overloaded cords and outlets: Extension cords are not permanent solutions. If your big-screen TV, home theater system and other electronics are plugged into one extension cord, it’s time to call an electrician and install additional outlets.
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Old appliances: Older appliances are more likely to have loose or damaged wiring, which means they’re more likely to catch fire. Check older appliances for damage and determine if it’s time to upgrade or replace. Also check to ensure you’re using appliance-grade outlets. A qualified electrician can help with installation.
KEC continues operations amidst COVID-19 pandemic Safety is the culture of Kiamichi Electric Cooperative. In joining the efforts of federal and local government in protecting one another from contracting and spreading COVID-19, we are implementing lessons learned from others to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Currently, our offices are closed to the public, however our drive thru in Wilburton remains open during normal business hours. We will continue evaluating the pandemic status to determine when to reopen. We know you rely on safe, reliable electric service, and we will continue doing our best to serve you. Equally important is the well-being of our employees. We are using best practices, good judgment and safety precautions to better serve you. We are also utilizing innovative ways to work together from safe spaces, including video conferencing, teleconferencing and more. To help your cooperative and area communities reduce spreading the virus and encourage social distancing, please follow these guidelines: • Contact our support staff and report power outages on your KEC mobile app or by calling 1-800-888-2731. • Keep up with our latest updates by following us on Facebook and at www.kiamichielectric.org. • Conveniently pay your bill online at www.kiamichielectric. org, on your KEC mobile app, at PaySite kiosks located throughout our service area, or by calling 1-800-888-2731. We are taking additional steps to mitigate unnecessary risk:
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Minimizing work-related travel and participation in group gatherings. Preparing offices and staff to work from home as needed.
As we monitor the spread of COVID-19 in and near our service area, we want to keep you appraised of our actions and practices to stay safe. Please keep an eye on www.kiamichielectric.org and our Facebook page for altered practices during this time. What KEC is doing: • KEC is temporarily suspending disconnection of residential accounts for those directly impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. We will re-evaluate this decision on a week by week basis. We ask that in order to prevent future disconnection once the suspension has been lifted and in order to avoid penalties for nonpayment, please keep your account current. • We are collaborating with our power suppliers to ensure continuity of service to our members. No negative impacts to delivery of electricity have occurred or are expected due to this pandemic. Please stay safe and know that KEC will continue to operate and provide the highest-quality service possible for you, the members we serve. The spread of COVID-19 may necessitate changes in how we interact, but it will not change what we do. Thank you for your understanding and support.
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ceo’s report BRETT ORME
C HI E F E X E C U T I V E O F F I C ER
Kiamichi Electric Cooperative 944 SW Highway 2 PO Box 340 Wilburton, Oklahoma 74578 tele: (918) 465-2338 toll free: (800) 888-2731 FAX: (918) 465-2950 www.kiamichielectric.org email: support@kiamichielectric.org HOURS OF OPERATION Monday-Friday 8 am to 5 pm 24-HOUR OUTAGE HOTLINE (800) 888-2731 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Don Parr, President DISTRICT 5 Mark Ichord, Vice President DISTRICT 6 Ron Pelanconi, Treasurer DISTRICT 3 Russell Shaw DISTRICT 1 Amy Miller DISTRICT 2 David Ray DISTRICT 4 Larry Culwell DISTRICT 7 Brett Orme Executive Vice President-CEO Kiamichi Electric provides reliable and affordable electricity to members in Pushmataha, Leflore, Latimer, Atoka and Pittsburg Counties.
As we all deal with the new realities brought on by the coronavirus, I want to assure you that your local electric cooperative is here to help you. We have always had an Emergency Plan that has served us well in a variety of circumstances, from ice storms to tornadoes to flash floods. Early in this crisis, our staff updated that plan with a special emphasis on ensuring we can continue to provide the reliable electric service you have come to expect from your electric cooperative. So far, that is exactly what has happened. We know that after a sufficient supply of food and water, electricity is the No. 1 thing you need to maintain some sense of normalcy as we hunker down in our homes. With that in mind, keeping the power flowing is Job 1 for everyone involved in maintaining the electric cooperative system. We thought you might want to know some of the steps we have taken in order to keep your power flowing. We’ve closed our lobbies to prevent the spread of germs. Instead, we are encouraging members to use our drop box, online and phone payment options and the “good old” U.S. Postal Service to pay bills. Many of our employees are working from home. If you call, the phones will be answered as always.
We have separated our line crews from other employees and even from each other to limit possible spread of the virus. Trucks are being relocated so that lineworkers can head to the job site without coming to the office. New routines are in place for contractors working on our system in order to keep them away from employees. Deliveries are being quarantined. Our management team and board are meeting constantly to fine-tune this plan. We are in constant contact with the other electric cooperatives in Oklahoma and with the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives, which in turn is working closely with our national association, the state legislature, Governor Kevin Stitt and more. So far, it is working well and everyone has adapted to the new norm. That’s because we’ve done this before. Nothing brings out the best in our employees better than a crisis situation. Our focus here is on doing our part to keep your life as normal as possible through this situation and beyond. The cooperative way of doing business has brought us this far, and the cooperative way will help us through this crisis. All the best to everyone. Stay healthy, stay home and we will get through this together the cooperative way!
Our focus here is on doing our part to keep your life as normal as possible through this situation and beyond.
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Four Common Culprits of Electrical Fires By Abby Berry
May is National Electrical Safety Month, which is the perfect time to evaluate the safety of your home’s electrical system. Outdated wiring and overloaded circuits are the most common causes of electrical fires. Check the following areas of your home to ensure your home’s electrical safety is up to par.
KEC offices will be closed May 25 so employees can spend the Memorial Day holiday with their families. If you experience a power outage or see an electrical safety hazard, please call 1-800-888-2731.
ELECTRICAL OUTLETS Faulty electrical outlets are a leading cause of home fires. As outlets age, so do the wires behind them that you can’t see. Any loose, damaged or warm-to-the-touch outlets should be repaired or replaced. ELECTRICAL WIRING
Outdated wiring is another common cause of electrical fires. Frequently tripped breakers, flickering lights and burning smells are clear warning signs. If your home is more than 20 years old, it may not be able to handle today’s increased power load. If you suspect your home’s wiring is outdated, leave this one to the pros and contact a qualified electrician. OVERLOADED CORDS AND OUTLETS
Extension cords are not permanent solutions. If your big-screen TV, home theater system and other electronics are plugged into one extension cord, it’s time to call an electrician and install additional outlets. OLD APPLIANCES
Older appliances are more likely to have loose or damaged wiring, which means they’re more likely to catch fire. Check older appliances for damage and determine if it’s time to upgrade or replace. Also check to ensure you’re using appliance-grade outlets. A qualified electrician can help with installation. Abby Berry writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the national trade association representing more than 900 local electric cooperatives. From growing suburbs to remote farming communities, electric co-ops serve as engines of economic development for 42 million Americans across 56 percent of the nation’s landscape.
Congratulations to the 2020 Operation Round Up scholarship winners! Each student listed below was selected as a 2020 scholarship recipient and were awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the KEC Foundation’s Operation Round Up® program. Congratulations to all the winners!
Buffalo Valley High School Grace Dewbre Chesnee Fitzgerald
Clayton High School Kyla Faulkenberry
Eufaula High School Ashley Cumpton
Howe High School Garrett Allen Katlyn Miller
Indianola High School Cameron Collins Katlyn Collins
McAlester High School Jameson Coleman
Quinton High School Rynda Wilson
Kiowa High School Kyndal Self
Talihina High School Ryker Baughman
Wilburton High School Sheyenne Cheek Lyndee Baldwin Shaina Spears Nikkol Spears Kristy Martin
4 | the Light Post RECIPE
operation round up
Fruit Salad with Lemon Dressing
M O N T H LY U P D AT E Operation Round Up® is a voluntary bill roundup program that benefits local communities, organizations ,and needy families. Funding applications are available at Kiamichi Electric, local social services, or online at www.kiamichielectric.org. YEAR-TO-DATE COLLECTIONS 2020: $6,460.44 YEAR-TO-DATE DISBURSEMENTS: $3,415.78 TOTAL COLLECTED SINCE INCEPTION: $1,614,335.30 TOTAL DISBURSEMENTS SINCE INCEPTION:
$1,559,308.10
INGREDIENTS
• 6 mandarin or clementine oranges, peeled and segmented • 4 apples, diced • 4 kiwis, peeled and diced • 4 bananas, peeled and diced
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1/2 cup pomegranate seeds 1/2 cup blueberries 4 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1/2 cup avocado oil 2 tsp. poppy seeds
DIRECTIONS Toss all the fruits together in a large salad bowl. In another bowl, whisk the avocado oil, lemon juice, and poppy seeds until well emulsified. Drizzle the lemon dressing over the the fruit salad. Toss gently until everything is well coated. Refrigerate and serve cold. Recipe from PaleoLeap.com
Energy Efficiency
Tip of the Month When the weather is nice, put your grill to use! During summer months, cooking outdoors is a great way to save energy and eliminate unwanted heat from cooking indoors. Source: Energy.gov
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