Never attempt to help crews by cutting a tree off of a power line or out of the road. Doing so could be deadly! Lines can still be energized even when they’re on the ground and it’s not safe to go near them until our crews have properly grounded the line. Report the downed lines and keep yourself and others away until help arrives.

Dear Members,

We’re family, right? At least I think of our members as an extension of my family in so many ways.

We have been through a lot together in the last 35 years. I have been blessed to have met so many dedicated members who are willing to provide leadership for the co-op and stepped up to help when we needed it. This is especially true during major storm events.

Members have volunteered their tractors to pull equipment into hard to reach places, provided boats to pull wire over water and given rides on ATV’s to haul tools and line personnel into remote places. This list could go on and on.

Probably the most memorable experiences for our team are the numerous times hot biscuits and coffee were brought to crews working long hours in snow and ice on a cold winter night. Or dropping off sandwiches, sweets and bottles of cold water to the crews on a hot summer evening after a line of strong thunderstorms moved across the system.

The bottom line is, many of you are very willing and eager to assist us in any way possible. We are very grateful for all you do. You are not taken for granted.

But in a few recent cases, this eagerness to help has gone too far. When families have a serious issue to talk about, everyone understands the importance of being honest, genuine and thoughtful during the discussion for the betterment of the entire family. This month, I have an extremely important and serious issue to talk to you about as a co-op family member—your safety.

Storms cause trees to fall onto power lines. Trees are, by far, the number one reason your power goes out during a storm. That’s the reason we have an aggressive right-of-way program to keep the trees trimmed on a specific time cycle.

Over the last few months, there have been several instances when trees have fallen onto power lines and members used their chain saws to cut the trees off. This is an extremely serious and life-threatening safety issue.

Through the years, I have personally witnessed power lines that—in the right conditions—had trees on them or were on the ground and remained energized. Poles have been broken from trees or car accidents, and the lines have remained energized until we could arrive and turn the power off.

A line is not dead until it is grounded by our line personnel. Any member that finds a power line down should assume it is energized and should not go near the line or any object that may be touching it. If you do, you are risking your life and health. Here are some additional safety measures to keep in mind:

1If moving or handling a tall object, keep plenty of distance between the object and the overhead power line. If an object gets too close to an overhead line, the electricity can arc to the object and it can become energized causing serious injury and possibly death.

2If excavating in the vicinity of an underground power line, have the line located prior to performing the work by dialing 811. Contact with an underground power line can be just as deadly as contact with an overhead line.

3Another concern for line personnel during outage restoration efforts is generators. When connected and properly operated, a generator can help bring comfort and relief during adverse weather conditions while power restoration efforts are underway.

But if a generator is not installed or connected properly, it can damage appliances, cause injuries and even death to you or to our crews working to restore power. When a generator is connected to your home wiring system improperly, the energy it generates can flow back through the transformer and onto the lines at a very high voltage.

We have devices that you can purchase that are placed into your meter base for connecting a generator that eliminates having to completely rewire your electrical entrance. Please contact one of our offices if you have additional questions or need assistance.

I would really appreciate your help to get the word out on this very important issue. Please share this safety message with the rest of your family members and neighbors.

Safety for our employees and safety for you and your family is our number one priority. Please take the proper precautions and never go near a downed power line or objects near a line. Too much is at stake to do otherwise.

Cooperatively Yours in Safety,

Dale F. Lambert Chief Executive Officer