FortisBC sending techs to help restore power in hurricane-ravaged Turks and Caicos Islands
Local FortisBC crews are heading to the Caribbean this weekend to help restore power in area affected by Hurricane Irma.
Six powerline technicians, two from Kelowna, two from the South Okanagan and two from the Kootenays, along with a supervisor, are expected to arrive on the Turks and Caicos Islands on Sunday, where they will be working for three weeks.
In total, 58 crew members across Canada from FortisBC, FortisAlberta, FortisOntario, Maritime Electric and Newfoundland Power will be going to help with emergency response efforts. Help was requested by FortisBC’s sister company in Turks and Caicos.
“The No. 1 focus will be storm restoration,” said Shawn Conway, a regional manager for FortisBC.
Crews will be cutting wires and conductors off the roads and removing poles and transformers off the roads to make it safe for emergency officials to get through, he said.
They will also be working to restore power to critical infrastructure, including cell service, water supply systems, emergency departments and hotels.
“They’re bringing hand tools, small chainsaws, cutters,” said Conway. “They won’t have access to bucket trucks and large equipment, so (they) will be climbing poles.”
Fortis crews were busy packing up all the equipment they will need for their emergency response trip Friday afternoon, as they only found out about the job on Thursday.
The exact conditions of the area and the job are unknown, but safety is paramount, said Conway.
“They’re trained to watch for dangers, and safety is our number one concern when sending these guys down,” he said. “I feel confident that we’ve got our top people here at FortisBC for storm restoration.”
This will be the ninth emergency response effort of this kind for Fortis.
Other trips have included Turks and Caicos in 2008, Jamaica in 2004 and Prince Edward Island in 2003.