Maximizing Lineman Safety
The notion of lineman safety is certainly not new within the utility industry. It’s literally the #1 stated goal of any electric utility worth its salt, and it is a particularly important [...]
Emergency Drills and Exercises for Utilities
“What are we talking about? We’re talking about practice, man. I mean, how silly is that?” Allen Iverson, May 7, 2002 Emergency drills are practice. While I’m not so sure about the [...]
The Electric Utility Liaison Paragon
When outages happen, utility liaison personnel really have a lot of walking to do – as in walking the tightrope, walking a fine line, walking on eggshells, or, as it may sometimes seem, walking [...]
The Art and Science of Restoration Metrics
“The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have.” – Vince Lombardi For electric utilities, restoration metrics are critical in much the same way as all forms of measurements in [...]
Ted Koppel Goes Full Prepper in Lights Out Cyber Attack Book
Ted Koppel, ABC Nightline’s founding father, and one of the last old-school most-trusted TV journalists, is outraged. And Afraid. Very, very afraid. After dusting off a 2010 letter to the [...]
Drills and Exercises and Practicing
We have beaten the drum for frequent drills and exercises enough to give even our own veteran associates and clients virtual headaches. And while we are still true believers in the beneficial [...]
Why Your Restoration Plan is Like a Dirty Diaper
The other day I was babysitting my 2-year old grandson when he yelled from across the room that he had a problem. Well, by the time he was within 10 feet of me, I knew exactly what the problem [...]
How Utility Companies Can Reduce Outage Phone Calls
A police officer awakens you to inform you that your son or daughter has been arrested and needs to be picked up from the local police station. Your real estate agent lets you know that you lost [...]
Why Utilities Must Treat Large Planned Events Like Storms
What does Hurricane Sandy, a visit from Pope Francis, and an ice storm have in common? The answer is that each event requires utility companies – water, gas and electric – to have a plan. Yes [...]
Weather Prediction Models for Electric Utilities
The trouble with weather forecasting is that it’s right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it. ~ Patrick Young Weather prediction models? Ha! Sometimes I [...]
