On June 28 at 4:51 am, nearly 1,750 Tideland members on the Sidney, Gaylords Bay and Pamlico Beach circuits lost power when a vehicle left the road, breaking a three-phase pole.

As is most often the case, Tideland crews were not first to arrive on site. Instead it was members of the Pantego VFD. They assisted the victim, observed proper safety measures, and controlled traffic to allow our crews to set up a repair work zone. That day, Tideland crews were able to “float” the three-phase wires, restoring power while pole replacement got underway. Power was off approximately 90 minutes and most importantly everyone went home safe that day.

We all owe a debt of gratitude to our first responders. Most are volunteers for whom public safety is not a profession but rather a personal commitment.

We all owe a debt of gratitude to our first responders. Most are volunteers for whom public safety is not a profession but rather a personal commitment. Their presence at the scene of an accident often alleviates co-op crews of multiple tasks so we can fully focus our efforts on power restoration.

It is not lost on our crews that while they are getting paid to respond and restore power, those who arrive first are sacrificing time away from their own families, jobs and leisurely pursuits. These first responders also spend countless volunteer hours training and putting sweat equity into the maintenance of community-owned facilities and equipment. Recently we were able to return the favor in some small measure by erecting a fire hose training ball course at the Tri Community VFD in New Bern. It’s just one way we can say “thank you” to those who put so much on the line for us.