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Trimming
Away Problem Areas C-T Photo / Drew Van Dyke CAPTION: Crews from Poor Boy Tree Services worked in conjunction with Farmers' Electric Cooperative Thursday afternoon to clear away tree branches from overhead power lines in Chillicothe's heavily populated areas. According to FEC official Steve Shoot, winds and the debris they carry (like tree limbs) cause more damage to power lines than conditions such as our recent snowstorm.
You'd think that the recent weather could be causing local electric company Farmers' Electric Cooperative troubles. Turns out, unless there's a lot of ice and a lot of wind, they're actually in pretty good shape. "Snow doesn't really bother us," said Steve Shoot, FEC manager of member services. "Especially a dry snow, like this one." Shoot said that sleet really doesn't bother power lines either, which is often the main focus of citizen and member concerns. High winds and heavy ice storms are usually the more likely banes that people should fear when it comes to power outages. Winds and ice most often cause tree limbs and other debris to fall onto power lines, thus resulting in a power outage due to disconnection. FEC recently hired the services of Poor Boy Tree Service, a company located across the Midwest that trims tree limbs around power lines and other dangerous areas, to prevent hazardous situations from happening in the future. The company has been in the Chillicothe area this week, trimming limbs that had grown into or over the power lines along specified routes given to them by FEC. Shoot says that the recent storm, while harsh, has done little to no damage to power lines in the surrounding areas which utilize FEC services. The trimming is just a precaution, in case such circumstances were to arise. Shoot urges those who do experience power outages that they believe are due to a recent storm, they should follow steps presented to them in the newsletter that FEC sends to their customers. If one calls the toll-free number that is listed (1-800-927-5334), they will be directed to the crews associated with their area, who will work to immediately view the situation and fix what problems have arisen. "Any problems we do have related to these storms are often isolated - here and there," said Shoot. |
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