Unsung Heroes

Unsung Heroes

Here in the mountains, during summer and winter storms, we often lose our electric power. The lights usually flicker on and off a few times before the dark silence sets in.
Our power goes out. We begin our ‘survival mode’ existence We light the laid fire in the wood stove, light the lamps and/or candles, and place homemade reflectors behind them. I make my reflectors by placing aluminum foil over pieces of cardboard and bending them to form a ‘V’. By placing these behind my candles or lamps, all of the light is reflected into the room, not lost in the darkness behind the light source. I make sure these are up out of the reach of the animals, for fear of fire, and I never go to bed with lit candles or oil lamps burning without supervision.
Here is what I do not do:
I do not take this opportunity to complain about my high electric bill. This is not the time or place to do that. With the outrageously high bills we have received due to the interim rate increase, I have heard about bills that were $400 to $500 dollars for December and January, even though some folks were without power for two weeks or more. I understand, I sympathize with you, but the person answering the Outage Reporting Line can do nothing about your bill. Taking your anger out on these people is not only misplaced, it is rude, and ties up the phone lines, preventing others from reporting their outages in a timely fashion.
Having spoken with representatives on the ORL many times, I have heard what some of you are saying. One of the most common angry complaints is this: “As high as my bill is, I expect better service than this! “, and, “Why can’t you people do your jobs so I don’t lose power?” or, “I see those trucks parked on the sides of the roads all the time, with those lazy ***** just sitting around! Make them get off their butts and get my power back on now!” and, finally, “Why aren’t the crews cleaning the trees away from the power lines in the summer time? If they did their jobs, we wouldn’t be without power now!”
These are very harsh words. Stop and think. That person sitting there answering that phone line has no control over what is happening in the field. They are there to take reports of your power outages. End of story. When you harangue the service representative, you are in effect, bullying someone who cannot fight back. Shame on you. I wonder, do you ever call in during normal office hours in the summer time and complain to the company? Or do you just let your anger and frustration boil over when your power goes out and then take it all out on the service reps?
Outage phone personnel take a tremendous about of verbal abuse, and it takes a huge toll on them. They work long hours to take reports and co-ordinate outage records, and to get these reports to the field crews. Although they are well-trained to do their jobs, it still ‘gets under their skins’ when you verbally blast them for something they can do nothing about.
ORL people can and do go beyond the call of service. One phone rep received a frantic call from an elderly, frightened woman. Her power had been out for 4 days, and she was running low on firewood, food and water. Her customer service rep noted her name and address, and immediately called Social Services and Emergency Personnel in the woman’s area. They responded by bringing in wood, water and food to the terrified woman. The rep’s response to my thanks? “It’s just part of my job.” Wow.
Okay, next, let’s consider the field crews. These men are out in the worst kinds of weather – rain, sleet, freezing rain, snow and high winds. They are digging holes to replant broken power poles, they are stringing new lines, tightening up loose lines, replacing transformers and repairing substations under conditions that have you hunkered down in your home, safe and sound.
Linemen are my heroes. For every adverse weather event that sends them out on the lines, I send up prayers for their safety. Every year there are, on average, six deaths in this elite group of courageous men. Think about it. While you are verbally battering the service rep, someone out there on a line crew, working to restore your power for your comfort, may be seriously injured or even dying on the job.
Linemen have no control over your electric bill. Their only responsibility during these storms is to restore your power. They cut out downed trees, pull power lines out of creeks and rivers, and work 12 to 18 hour shifts under unimaginable conditions. When you see them ‘sitting on their butts on the side of the road’, they are taking a much-needed and well-deserved rest break in order to stay in peak working ability. They are deserving of your thanks and praise, not your abuse.
How many of you have ever called after your power has been restored to say, “Thank you.”? I have noticed a wonderful pattern in our power restoration. When I talk with my service rep, I always get an estimated ‘return of service’ date. Over the past 22 years, 90 percent of the time, my power is restored well before this date. I think that is fantastic, and well deserving of praise, and I call the power company to give them my thanks.
If you are upset and irate over your electric bill, please direct your anger to the proper channel. You can
call, write or e-mail your complaints in a proper fashion without tying up valuable phone outage report time.

So, please, try to contain your anger and frustration, and use the proper channels to express your outrage. And, most importantly, say a little prayer for the safety of the crews and the linemen. They are out there literally putting their ‘lives on the line’, under the worst of weather conditions, working long hours to restore the electricity for our comfort.
Then, try to remember to call back and say thanks after your power is restored Your Outage Report Representatives and the working line crews will most definitely appreciate it.
Thank you, ORL representatives.

Thank you, linemen and line crews. You are my heroes.
I just thought you might like to know it.
theherbwoman
Copyright (C) 2010