When the winter storm that hit Moosomin and surrounding areas recently knocked out the power, most of us just sat in the dark and waited for it to come back on and occasionally looked at twitter or the SaskPower app for updates on the situation. For Powerline Supervisor, Brian McCaw and his crew of line workers, it was time to get to work and get the lights back on.
Moosomin
McCaw and his six person crew were already on duty before the power went out.
“We had just gotten the truck fueled up at the Esso, when the lights went out. So, we knew right away that we had problems. So we started patrolling the town. We got a call in that there was a line down across Broadway Ave nue and Saunders Road at that corner. We got there about the same time the fire department got there. They were out there making sure that everyone stayed away from the line. When we got there, we made the area safe. There is a switch south of where the line came down, we were able to open up that switch. We made the area safe we moved the line away from the cross road,” said McCaw.
A switch is a mechanism on the power pole that when opened shuts the power off to one side.
Once that problem was taken care of, McCaw left town to go and work on problems occurring in the surrounding areas.
“When that switch came open, I was able to drive out to Red Jacket. It (the storm) had kicked the power out all the way back from Red Jacket to Fleming. We would have lost a bunch of rural communities. When I was driving to Red Jacket another guy went and got our bucket truck and loaded it up,” said McCaw.
His crew worked fast and in Moosomin some people had their power restored within a few hours.
“When I got to Red Jacket, we got a lot of our customers back on in Moosomin. Everything from Windover and south would’ve been off and everything from Windover and north, would’ve been on,” said McCaw.
The cause it seemed was ice falling from trees onto lines.
“What happened was, we had a large tree that was taller than our lines. The ice had built up on a large branch and when it broke off, it fell towards our three phase line. It broke our dead end arm and a cross arm. One wire came right down onto the road, so we started to fix it,” said McCaw.
A three-phase line is one that has three high voltage lines running along the tops of the poles.
The weather conditions that caused the problem is also the reason it is difficult to sometimes get to the cause of the outages.
“When you get those kind of conditions that are kind of icy, it is hard to tell what kind of weights and tensions you have on your poles and stuff, so everything has to be done out of a bucket truck,” said McCaw.
The crew worked tirelessly trying to get the power on for customers as far north as Whitewood and all the way down to Fleming. Moosomin’s power was restored four hours after it went out.
“That was somewhere between 9:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. That is why we put those switches in. So that you can get the most customers back on in the shortest time and then focus on jobs that will take a bit longer,” said McCaw.
Surrounding areas
The goal for a line crew is to get power back to as many customers as possible and then working on the rest. Rural areas can sometimes pose challenges you don’t face in town.
“In town, you can get close to lines, but it is when you are out in the rural areas. We have lots of lines that run through back countries and we sometimes need side-by-side skidoos to patrol lines we can’t access with our trucks. Depending on what the problem is and where it is, we would have to get a track machine too,” said McCaw.
The rural area south on Highway 8 was a tough one that night.
“There was one near Wawota. That one was hard to get to, but once we found it, we saw the line was broken and when the tension in then line broke, it broke a pole off. In a farm field. There was ice on the shelter belt trees and that broke the line,” said McCaw.
There was no rest as the crew then weathered the bad storm to go all the way north to Tantallon. Along with darkness, ice and rain, time was becoming a concern too.
“We had some more up north by Tantallon and north of Whitewood. Once we had most of those back up it was getting close to midnight and the rain and ice had not let up. Now driving is treacherous enough during the day so at that time we made the call to go home at midnight and get some rest and then start in the morning in the daylight,” said McCaw.
In the morning, with the right equipment and sunlight, the crew got back to work.
“We got back out there probably just before 8 a.m. We had to look at fatigue management,” said McCaw.
In better conditions and with the help of a contract crew called K-Line Construction and Maintenance, the last of the outages were quickly taken care of in the area.
“The (outages) down south were back up close to 11 a.m. The ones by Tantallon serving a total of six customers, would have been back up close to 12:30 p.m. With the one north of Whitewood serving 10 customers, we had most of the customers back on by 12:00 p.m. and the rest we got back on by 3 p.m.” said McCaw.
Leaving customers without power is never an easy choice to make.
“That is a hard choice to make. When you have customers that are out and you have to make that call that means they will have to stay off until the next day. It is a hard choice to make, but it is something you have to do to make sure that everybody goes home at the end of the day,” said McCaw.
The job
McCaw understands that the average person might not know exactly how hard it is for line workers to get the power back some times. However, he says most customers are understanding.
“You can’t please everyone, but there is a lot of times you phone those customers and tell them their power won’t be coming back on because of safety reasons and most are understanding,” said McCaw.
He also noticed that more people are prepared for outages than in the past.
“From when I first started, there are a lot more people who have generators. A lot of the bigger farms and people who rely on power, they have those back ups and if you really need your power, generators are not a bad investment,” said McCaw.
McCaw has been with SaskPower for almost three decades.
“I have worked for SaskPower for 29 years. It is kind of a passion to keep the lights on, so when things go bad and you get the lights back on as quickly and safely as you can, it is a great feeling when you see the lights come back on,” said McCaw.
The job is not an easy one, and health and safety is crucial when it comes to making certain choices.
“That is why when we made the choice that night to shut it down and go home while there were people out there without power. We all felt bad, it was a tough choice but we had to make it,” said McCaw.
McCaw is also proud of his crew and the work they do.
“There is six of us in Moosomin and they are all great line workers they all have the same passion to keep the lights on. The guys that are coming up, are very safety orientated and that is a good thing, because you can get hurt working in those conditions,” said McCaw.
McCaw also understands that other people at SaskPower and the public play a big part in keeping the power on.
“There is a lot a work happening behind the scenes with the people at the outage center. It really helps when customers phone in when they see trees fall,” said McCaw.
Outage kits
The SaskPower website has plenty of information about what the public can do during an outage.
“Creating an outage kit that is handy and accessible, even in the dark, will help you stay safe. Write 310-2220 (the SaskPower Outage Centre) on the outside of the kit and include the following items:
Water — at least one gallon for each member of your household, per day.
Food — non-perishable, easy to prepare items. Include a manual can opener (or a multi-purpose tool).
Flashlights — include extra batteries and make sure the flashlight is functional. Candles can be included but must only be used by adults and never by children. Keep candles away from flammable material (such as curtains).
First-aid kit — include essential medications and required medical items. If you have medication that needs to be refrigerated, consult with your pharmacist for guidance on proper storage during an extended outage.
A battery-powered or hand-crank clock and radio.
Blankets and warm clothing.”
The site also mentions the importance of being prepared for the cold.
“Being prepared for the cold is also important. Stay warm and safe:
Don’t use barbecues, portable generators and propane or kerosene heaters indoors. Burning fuel in unventilated areas produces carbon monoxide, a deadly, odourless gas.
Keep a supply of antifreeze on hand to protect plumbing from freezing.
Make sure there are plenty of extra warm clothes and blankets around your home.
In remote and rural areas, a wood-burning stove or fireplace is the best way to provide heat during a prolonged outage.”
For more information SaskPower customers can call 1-888-757-6937.
