Monsoon kickoff: APS crews undergo safety training
An outage Tuesday night that left more than 7,000 Yuma customers without power allowed Arizona Public Service crews to practice for the monsoon season, which officially kicks off today.
A protective device at a substation failed, leaving customers without electricity at 8:50 p.m., but power was restored at 10 p.m. The incident caused four different outages, spanning from County 8th Street to 21st Lane and Avenue E to Avenue C; 12th Street to Del Sol Lane and Avenue C to Avenue A; the Colorado River to 12th Street and Avenue C to 24th Avenue; and 12th Street to 26th Street to Avenue D to 33rd Drive.
APS Southwest Division Manager Jeff Spohn pointed out that outages throughout the year give crews a chance to prepare for the busiest time of the year.
In addition, “we prepare for monsoons all year long by inspecting the grid, looking for places that are vulnerable, replacing these pieces and parts — poles, transformers, cross arms,” he said.
“It’s an opportunity to apply the newest and improved technology to both the operational and customer side.”
This includes technology that allows the company to relay information to customers in a timely matter, which can be done through its care center phone line as well as its website and smartphone app, both of which have maps with specific information on outages.
With the monsoons approaching, APS wants to remind customers of measures they need to take to stay safe. Among those reminders:
• If a customer sees a downed power line or a wire in a tree, they should always assume it’s energized, stay at least 100 feet away and call 911 and then APS. Crews will check the situation and trim trees if necessary.
• If a power line falls on a car, all passengers should stay inside the vehicle and call 911. Stepping out of the car might lead to electrocution.
• Everyone should keep an emergency kit in the car, including water, nonperishable food, first-aid kit, battery-operated ra-
dio, phone charger, flashlights, extra batteries and necessary medications.
As part of the company’s preparation for monsoons, crews have also been undergoing safety training.
“We put them through the greatest and newest technology and procedures. We bring them up to speed every year,” said Charles Molina, supervisor of construction and maintenance.
“Safety-wise, they must know how to do pole rescues if there’s accidental contact with power lines. We do training for bucket rescues. It’s a very dangerous job, but there are multiple layers of safety equipment,” he added.
He noted that monsoons don’t just mean frequent outages, but lineman crews must also deal with wind, rain, flooding and lightning.
“It’s not always our people” that need rescuing, Molina noted, recalling an incident when an autistic teen in Phoenix climbed a power pole and had to be rescued.
The monsoon season is the busiest time for crews, but if multiple outages occur, the Yuma office will reach out to other areas, such as Phoenix or Parker, for help.
“If we have hundreds of them, then we go statewide,” Molina said.