How do you stay calm and focused during widespread outages or severe weather events?

Staying calm is one of the most important parts of being a dispatcher. During major outages, I remind myself that every decision we make directly supports our crews and our members. I focus on gathering accurate information, watching the system closely, and communicating clearly with the team. When the weather is severe, things can change quickly, so staying steady helps ensure that everyone in the field has what they need to work safely.

How do you use SCADA to give lineworkers a better idea of what is happening on the system before they get to a job site?

SCADA gives us a real-time view of what the system is doing, so I can often see where a fault occurred and what equipment was affected. Before a crew arrives, I share details like which breakers have locked out, where voltage dropped, or whether a line section shows abnormal readings. This helps lineworkers know exactly what they are walking into and gives them a head start on locating the issue. It is a structured, detailed process that saves time and increases safety once they reach the site.

What would you want members to know about SCADA?

I would want members to know that SCADA is one of the most important tools we use to keep their power reliable and to keep our crews safe. It allows us to see what is happening on the system the moment something changes. That information helps us respond more quickly, isolate problems, and prevent equipment damage. For our lineworkers, that knowledge is power. It gives them critical information before they ever step out of the truck.

Why is it still important for members to call if they are experiencing an outage?

Even with SCADA, there are situations where the system may not immediately detect every issue. When a member calls in, that information is logged and helps us confirm what we are seeing on our end. It can point us to the exact location of a problem or reveal an outage that has not yet triggered a system alarm.