Ubits May/June 2016
Emergency response
CASCADIA RISING
TPU to participate in region-wide emergency drill in June Food & Basic Supply Drive June 13 – 22
In this issue
From Idaho to Washington to Oregon, everyone is preparing for the big one. In June, TPU and about 100 agencies from across the Northwest will spend up to four days participating in the Cascadia Rising exercise, which simulates the aftermath of a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and coastal tsunami. This drill is in anticipation of a potential Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake, which scientists say is likely. The Cascadia fault runs 800 miles, from northern California to Vancouver Island, B.C. “The exercise gives us a chance to see how TPU can best coordinate operations, identify the gaps in our planning and become better prepared for a real disaster,” said Heather Holt,
a 15-year emergency management veteran who is leading the emergency planning charge at TPU with the help of an 18-member cross-utility team.
Better together Life, safety and preservation of property during and after a major disaster depend on communication and coordination between public and private sectors, along with community organizations. TPU’s main goal of participating in the exercise is to build relationships early on that will be critical in a real emergency. “All of us are very good at knowing our systems and fixing our own stuff,” said Ken Scudder, a member of the emergency management planning Continued on page 2
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Emergency notification system
TPU award round up
WECC audit results
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Cascadia rising team, representing Tacoma Power’s T&D group. “Where we need improvement is communicating and working with other divisions, agencies and utilities. An exercise like this allows us to coordinate with the many groups involved to understand how our needs and response plan fit into the bigger picture.” At TPU, emergency operation centers will be activated during the exercise to determine what steps the utility will have to take to run water, power and rail services in the aftermath of a 9.0 earthquake. “We’re a huge part of emergency response,” Heather said. “Utility workers are first responders like police and fire. Without power, water and the railroad, fires can’t be fought, hospitals don’t run, and fuel and supplies can’t be brought in.” In a large earthquake, TPU will face enormous challenges. Emergency planners expect transportation, communications, fuel, power and water to be hit hard. The more steps the utility can take now to learn what damage might take place, the more prepared it will be to provide customers and other emergency responders with power, water and transportation if it happens.
Drill time
During the exercise, each division will assess its infrastructure and report the simulated damage to its individual emergency operation centers. Employees will act after finding sealed envelopes with
a description of damage similar to what might happen in an earthquake. It could be broken water mains, downed transmission lines, loss of phones, networks, Internet and cellular service, broken rail infrastructure or issues with dams and facilities.
“We’re a huge part of emergency response.” All assessment reports will be pushed to a central incident command center. There, management will prioritize and develop a utility-wide strategy to restore service, starting with repairs that help critical customers like hospitals, then finishing with individual customers.
Coordinated effort
Much like in a real emergency, secondary issues, further damage and aftershocks will take place as part of the exercise. “We’ve worked with other players participating in Cascadia to determine what the damage across the region will be,” Heather said. “It will make prioritizing responses, resources and needs very real. For example, we don’t want to rush to get water to St. Joe’s Hospital if they’re evacuating, and we won’t plan on getting supplies from certain places if bridges or roads are knocked out.”
The players
Other than an all-employee earthquake drill that will kick off the exercise on Tuesday, June 7, only one-third of TPU employees will participate in the event each day. Not all employees would be available in a real emergency, so exercise planners want to keep participation at a realistic level. “It’s not going to be perfect,” said Rich Mizner, a Tacoma Water employee on the emergency management planning team. “This is our first time doing an exercise like this, and it’s meant to identify our weaknesses so we can adjust and improve our procedures, communication, operations and accountability.”
Next steps
Lessons learned from the exercise will help TPU finalize and document its emergency recovery procedures, called the Continuity of Operations Plan. The results will also impact long-term planning, capital budgeting and training. TPU will work with the city and county to identify what coordinated response improvements are needed. “Most importantly, the exercise will help all employees know their roles and responsibilities in a major disaster and how important they are to the health, safety and recovery of our community,” Heather said.
EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION
Tacoma Water uses 911 system to reach customers
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Practice makes perfect, so Tacoma Water is practicing, although it’s for something they hope they never have to use in a real-world situation. In March, the utility used Pierce County Alert – a reverse 911 system – to test calling people to notify them of a utility-related emergency. In this case, the “emergency” was a controlled burn of an old, unoccupied caretaker’s house at the utility’s McMillin Reservoir in Puyallup; Central Pierce Fire and Rescue conducted the burn.
To prepare for the test, Tacoma Water staff created a list of about 300 homes near the reservoir and wrote a phone message that would be delivered to those homes. The message told people to avoid calling 911 if they saw fire or smoke because the burn was being run by the fire department. For Tacoma Water, the process tested the emergency notification process, including bringing the right team together, creating a good map to identify the call list, drafting appropriate
messaging and working with county and utility phone systems. Of the 300 people who were notified, seven contacted Tacoma Water at a call-back number that offered a more in-depth message and the opportunity to speak to a live person. Rich Mizner, Tacoma Water’s emergency manager, said the utility could use this phone system for other reasons too, such as a boil water notification.
Tacoma Water finds unexpected levels of lead The recent issues in Flint, Michigan have sharpened the focus on lead in drinking water across the country and prompted Tacoma Water to re-examine any remaining lead materials it may still have in its system. To do that, the utility identified potential locations of lead goosenecks at four customers’ homes in early April. As part of a service pipe replacement, Tacoma Water conducted special sampling of the water in the service line before removing it, and was surprised by what it found – high levels of lead. Providing safe, reliable water is the utility’s top priority. As a testament to that, Tacoma Water shared information with customers and the media immediately after the high lead results came in. Joined by the Washington State Department of Health and the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, Tacoma Water managers explained how flushing pipes would reduce the potential for lead in drinking water, and gave information about lead exposure risks. At press time, Tacoma Water was in the process of sampling, testing and replacing service lines from the meter to the main at 12 homes. The information gathered will help identify the sampling and testing process for all homes and businesses where lead goosenecks may be connected to the water main. Watch Ubits in July for a comprehensive story about this topic.
“This is a good tool for us,” Rich said. “It gets an important message out to a lot of people in a short period of time. In fact, we can call our whole service area at any time on any day. It’s the kind of thing we hope we never have to use, but we want to be prepared.” If you live in Pierce County, you can register your phones and other devices for the free emergency notification service by calling (253) 798-6595.
STRONG AND SPEEDY WINS THE RACE
TPU tops leaderboard at Emergency Food Network IIt’s no exaggeration to say that TPU is passionate about packing – food, that is! Once a month, 15 employees repack bulk food for the Emergency Food Network (EFN), the primary distributor to 70 food banks, meal sites and shelters in Pierce County. Volunteers divide bulk food into servings for individual families in need. The TPU team repacked 226,569 pounds of food in 2015, which was more than twice as much as any other group! More importantly, though, that
amount of food was enough to provide three meals a day for 42 families over the course of a year. Merritt Reed, the volunteer coordinator for EFN, said this about TPU volunteers: “When we see TPU on the monthly repack schedule, we instantly know we’ll have a full group of volunteers who are passionate about helping others in our community and love to have fun while doing it! TPU volunteers are not afraid of hard work.”
UP NEXT
Food and Basic Supply Drive
June 13-22
Basic supplies make a huge difference for people in need, but donations tend to dry up in the summer. You can help by donating to Community Connection’s Food and Basic Supplies Drive June 13-22. You’ll find collection bins around campus. Donations will benefit My Sister’s Pantry – a food bank in Tacoma where patrons receive groceries and clothing along with a hot meal. Please donate non-perishable food items and basic hygiene supplies and clothing. Highly requested items include canned tuna, peanut butter, complete meal kits, baby food, diapers, shampoo and conditioner, deodorant, soap, socks and underwear. You’ll receive one hour of product donation Incentive time for your generosity! Questions? Contact Erika Tucci at 502-8225 or etucci@cityoftacoma.org.
What’s left of a caretaker’s house at McMillin Reservoir after a controlled burn.
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TPU employees do great work for customers and the community, and we have the awards to prove it. Check out some of the latest recognition TPU has received from industry organizations, local nonprofits and even Washington’s governor.
TPU award round up
National Hydropower Association honors Tacoma Power for the fifth time Tacoma Power recently received its fifth straight Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters (OSAW) award from the National Hydropower Association. The award honors the Lake Cushman Floating Surface Collector at the Cushman Hydroelectric Project in Mason County. The collector, which is attached to Cushman Dam No. 1, collects juvenile salmon migrating to the ocean. It uses nets to guide smolts toward the collector while preventing them from getting into the turbines. Once collected, the smolts get a 3-mile-long truck ride to Cushman Dam No. 2, where they are released into the river below. The OSAW judges said they were “impressed with the project” and that “it was an easy decision to give Tacoma Power the award.”
in designing, constructing and commissioning this fish collector that were overcome with ingenuity and lots of teamwork,” Pat said. “The collector is truly an engineering marvel and a critical element in helping restore fish populations in the North Fork Skokomish River. I am thrilled that our employees are being recognized for their hard work and creativity.”
“It was an easy decision to give Tacoma Power the award.” Generation Manager Pat McCarty accepted the award on behalf of the utility at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. “This project is a great collaboration between biologists, engineers, Tacoma Power staff, consultants, suppliers and contractors. There were many challenges
The Floating Surface Collector attached to Cushman Dam No. 1
Tacoma Power recognized for providing reliable, safe electric service
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Tacoma Power is now known as an “RP3” utility – and that’s a good thing. Bestowed by the American Public Power Association, the designation stands for “Reliable Public Power Provider.” It’s a reflection of a utility’s high proficiency in reliability, safety, workforce development and system improvement. Only 219 of more than 2,000 public power utilities across the country hold the RP3 designation, which lasts for three years. Twenty-
nine utilities, including Tacoma Power, earned the title this year. “There are two significant benefits to Tacoma Power for having received this designation,” said System Planning and Operations Manager Joe Wilson, who led the application process. “We had the opportunity to receive feedback from the APPA evaluation team on industry best practices, and we now can share this nation-wide evaluation with our customers.”
Criteria within each of th are based upon sound busin recognized industry-leading were judged by 18 APPA pan Key elements of Tacoma include collecting and analy having a mutual aid agreem vegetation management pro and using a system-wide em plan; and implementing any
Community Connection wins first employer-based Governor’s Volunteer Service Award Volunteerism and giving thrive at TPU. Throughout the year, employees give their time, skills and money to help those most in need. Gov. Jay Inslee recently recognized that by awarding TPU’s Community Connection program the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award for employerbased programs. TPU is the first organization to receive the award. “We were impressed that employees volunteer on their own time and give their own money to support the community,” said Serve Washington Executive Director Debbie Schuffenhauer. “The volume of the activities and the impact they make stood out. It was an easy choice to select Tacoma Public Utilities’ Community Connection program for this award.”
Skills and resources
Community Connection has a mission to match employees’ unique skills and resources to help meet the most pressing needs in the communities where TPU serves. Community Connection offered more than 40 volunteer and giving opportunities to employees in 2015 through 13 local nonprofit agencies.
“Our employees have unique skills that can be costly for nonprofits to procure,” said Community Connection Program Manager Erika Tucci. “Our employees bring construction, energy and water conservation, plumbing, electrical and logistic skills to projects like the annual Rebuilding Together South Sound event, and the impact is unbelievable.”
Break it down
In 2015, TPU employees volunteered 2,200 hours after work and on weekends participating Community Connection activities. They donated nearly $318,000 in cash, product donations and volunteer hours. That’s an average of $255 per employee. Here’s how it breaks down. They: • Repacked more than 226,000 pounds of food at Emergency Food Network • Served more than 1,200 meals at My Sister’s Pantry • Hosted a bake sale and the Dam Ride to give 330 utility bill grants through the Senior Assistance Fund • Bowled to raise big bucks ($16,000) for the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound
• Pledged $177,160 in giving to United Way • Gave $3,700 worth of food and basic supplies • Donated $30,275 worth of labor to housing programs through Habitat for Humanity and Rebuilding Together South Sound • Gifted more than $35,000 to kids and families in need during the holidays through Salvation Army’s Giving Tree and Adopt-a-Family
Leadership
While it takes all employees to donate those kinds of hours, gifts and dollars, it’s up to a small few to make the whole volunteer and giving program happen; they are the Community Connection Leadership Team. “They put in hundreds of hours and work many nights and weekends to make this program run smoothly,” Erika said. “They give much of themselves to enhance TPU’s reputation as one of the most community-minded companies in Pierce County, and they’re true leaders in our organization.”
Trudi Inslee and the Community Connection Leadership team pictured from left to right (starting from the top row): Roland Jones, Dan Knouff, Tracey Messana, Rebekah Wotton, Jon Fields, Lyndsey Michels, McKenzi Kent, Nancy LeMay, Kristi Williams, Vall Pearson, Sherry Berreth, Trudi Inslee, Erika Tucci, Jessie Wells, Keith Wawrin and Christine Bowers.
he four RP3 areas ness practices and g practices. Entries nel members. Power’s reliability yzing reliability data; ment; running a strong ogram; devising mergency response y needed cyber and
physical security. Tacoma Power earned high marks for safety by running monthly safety meetings for electric employees; changing practices based on findings from accidents; holding annual refresher training for things like bucket truck rescue, ladder safety, pole-top rescue and CPR; and for conducting disaster drills. The utility was also strong in the area of system improvement and scored well for
its conservation management programs; maintenance and inspection records of infrastructure; and analysis of long-term needs of our infrastructure. “I’m proud of our Tacoma Power team,” said Superintendent Chris Robinson. “We are dedicated to providing our customers with safe and reliable power, and being honored with this RP3 designation is one more way to show it.”
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Click! field technicians some of the best in the business Click! customers have spoken: The cable provider’s field service technicians are doing a great job. Click! regularly receives cards and letters from customers that praise employees. Here’s what some customers had to say: “I can’t say enough good things about your folks! They made my installation painless. They were on time, cleaned up after themselves and were gone quickly.” “Thanks to the staff for providing me with great service! I had a problem and it was solved with patience, detailed information and a helpful attitude.” “The service was great! My technician was pleasant, easy to deal with and explained everything thoroughly.” “You have a rare thing: employees that care about customers!” “The people that work for Click! have always been helpful and very friendly.” “I’d like to request that the service tech be given a huge pat on the back. He is and always will be the very best!” “Our technicians are exceptional,” said Marketing and Sales Manager Carrie Mantle. “They really care about customers and believe in the products and services we provide. We’ve even had customers call and ask for specific technicians.”
Survey says Click! doesn’t just sit back and wait for customers to sing their praises. It solicits feedback and measures customer satisfaction with surveys, too. Customers receive a survey after their service is first installed and each time a technician visits for a service call. Click! sent more than 5,900 satisfaction surveys in 2015, and the results were nearly perfect: On average, technicians scored a 3.7 out of 4. The surveys ask customers about technicians’
professionalism, arrival time and whether the problem was resolved. “Those scores are the result of employees going the extra mile,” said John Jamison, who supervises the field service technicians. “They install and problemsolve equipment issues expertly, then take the time to teach customers how to use it. Before leaving, they ensure customers’ homes are in the same condition as when they arrived.”
Certification
Part of the field technicians’ success comes from a deep understanding of the technology and products they install and maintain. For some, that knowledge increased as of May 2015, when 12 out of 17 field technicians enrolled in a master technician certification program through the National Cable TV Institute. “Those with certifications are recognized as some
of the best in the industry,” John said. “It shows the technicians’ dedication to stay abreast of new data, video and gigabit technology, and what it takes to install and troubleshoot those products.” Employees use a portion of their own time and money to complete the required seven courses, which covers topics like computers, modems, video, Internet services, cable systems, DVRs and modems. Each class takes about 100 hours of self-study and online tests. Some Click! technicians have earned honor graduate scores, which means they scored higher than 92% on the final test for a course. “Even in our uncertain times, our field technicians are engaged, focused, eager to learn and active in our industry to help Click! be the service of choice,” John said.
“Even in our uncertain times, our field technicians are engaged, focused, eager to learn and active in our industry to help Click! be the service of choice.” Pg. 6
PERFECT SCORE
Tacoma Power passes WECC audit Hats off to Tacoma Power for receiving favorable results from a March audit by the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) – one of two groups that sets mandatory high-voltage power grid reliability standards. The two-week audit covered everything from physical and cyber security to how Tacoma Power ensures reliability of the electrical system and operates its own generation and transmission and distribution facilities. Auditors gave the utility a perfect score: zero violations out of 94 standards and 500 reliability requirements. “We heard a lot of compliments from the auditors about our reliability and compliance program,” said Utility Technology Services Manager John Lawrence. “They told us our audit was refreshing, our subject matter experts are well-versed, our management team is engaged, our evidence is well-organized,
our Reliability & Compliance team is prepared, and our culture of compliance is strong.” This isn’t Tacoma Power’s first time impressing auditors. Because of favorable results from the 2013 audit and ongoing engagement since, the utility saw a 45% reduction in the scope of this year’s audit.
John said the utility is being considered for benefits that come only after building a strong reliability and compliance program, and for repeatedly displaying a low risk to the bulk electric system. After a one-day audit follow-up scheduled for June, auditors could grant Tacoma Power with longer time between audits (every
“There’s a lot to celebrate about the audit, particularly the hard work that went into it.” Instead of 21 auditors reviewing 60 standards, 15 auditors reviewed a sampling of just 26 standards. “There’s a lot to celebrate about the audit, particularly the hard work that went into it,” John said. “The team members should be very pleased with what they accomplished.” As a result of the audit findings, it’s likely Tacoma Power will be awarded more freedom from its regulators.
six years instead of three), and relief from fines in exchange for self-reporting of violations. “We’ve spent the last six years building this program,” John said. “We’re at a place today where we can enjoy the fruits of our labor. It doesn’t mean we can relax, but we know we’re doing exactly what we’re supposed to do and the auditors confirmed it – we’re reliable!”
Who’s new around here Who’s ready to relax Justin Gerchak Water Utility Worker Tacoma Water
John Hilotin Senior Engineer Tacoma Power
The following employees recently retired: • Cliff Brown, heavy equipment operator • •
Aaron Major Engineer Tacoma Power
Wynnae Wright Wildlife & Recreation Coordinator Tacoma Power
with Tacoma Water, retired in April after 28 years of service. Earl Kahawaii, fabrication welder with Tacoma Power, retired in March after 28 years of service. Sam Palmisano, line clearance tree trimmer with Tacoma Power, retired in April after 28 years of service.
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Tacoma Public Utilities PO Box 11007 • Tacoma WA 98411
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roughly two-thirds of non-participating homeowners and business customers still didn’t know Tacoma Power offers energysaving programs. Concerns about budgets and upfront costs were also barriers to participation. That information, coupled with customers’ preferences between two new marketing concepts, helped Tacoma Power arrive at the new campaign. “Its design, style and voice is intended to help customers get to the most relevant energy efficiency information quickly,” said Sonja Bert, communication and marketing strategist with Community & Media Services. “The campaign materials have a friendly tone and a voice that reads the same way people naturally talk.” The campaign highlights energy-saving products the utility instantly rebates either at the time of sale in stores or through partnerships with contractors who sell and install those products. Tacoma Power launched the new campaign at the end of 2015 with its residential ductless heat pump program. Modification of all energy efficiency materials is now underway. Watch for new brochures, Web and print advertising, videos and events. The Energy Savings Center in the TPU lobby will have new signage and an interactive educational lighting display by year-end.