Navigating Storms as a Rural Public Power District Manager

By Bob Beatty, KBR RPPD general manager

    I remember the good old days when April was my favorite month of the year. School was about to be over, winter was about over, and spring was in the air. I started to look at my golf clubs hoping they worked better than they did in the fall. Just to let you know-they don’t. Then I became a rural utility manager and all those warm and fuzzy feelings I had for April disappeared. Now I count down the days until it is over while constantly checking all the weather apps on my phone. This April, for a good part of the state, was a prime example why April can be the month of hell. While we got lucky at KBR and missed the storms, we watched with consternation the devastating damage that was being inflicted on our neighbors to the west.
    Now I am going to be honest with you, one of the first things that enters your mind when a storm event happens is better them than us. I am not proud of that but that is a natural human emotion.  The second thought is what we can do to help. Therein lies the beauty of mutual aid and the willingness for all of us to rush to help your neighbors. Phone calls and emails start to go out asking the affected systems what they need and how we can help. With the help of the statewide, emergency responses start to get organized in a fairly quick fashion and trucks start to roll.
    It has always been amazing to me the willingness of line workers to not only travel out on mutual aid calls, but do so with a sense of anticipation. The idea of working 18 hours a day in uncertain conditions does not faze them in the least. I get the idea sometimes that they almost enjoy it. Maybe that is due to the appreciation and gratitude they get when they arrive to start work. Of course, the over time does not hurt. But I personally think it is the personal satisfaction they get by being able to see the immediate results of their work and knowing the impact that makes on the customer when their power comes back on. Any storm restoration event would not work without the sacrifice of the families of the line workers. I get nervous and worry about the safety of my employees when they are on a job. I cannot imagine what the spouses and children are going through. We all owe them a huge thank you.
    It is hard to put into words the feeling of pride I feel as a manager when I see the social media post when our crews roll in to start to help. I am proud of my employees every day, but it gets magnified when I see the comments in the posts and especially when I get a phone call letting me know how professional and hard working the KBR crews are. It also gives one a sense of security that when it is our time to be in the spin cycle, that help is a phone call away.