Northeast Power has always made the safety of its workers and its members a top priority. On Thursday, June 29, Northeast Power workers participated in required annual pole top and bucket truck rescue training. This training was hosted by John Arnold with the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives.

Pole top rescue training consists of a lineman performing a hurt-man rescue scenario which finds a fellow worker unconscious atop a utility pole. The lineman must radio for help utilizing the proper mayday procedures, put on full climbing gear, climb a pole, and safely perform a rigging procedure which secures the hurt-man to safely lower him to the ground.

Workers also trained in bucket truck rescue, consisting of a scenario where an individual made electrical contact and is knocked unconscious in the bucket. The worker must radio for help utilizing the proper mayday procedures and operate the bucket truck such that the injured worker can be safely brought to the ground.

“It is crucial to practice these procedures, so we can help our co-workers in the event this situation would ever occur,” stated Joe Lemen, Northeast Power’s Manager of Safety and Compliance. “It means a lot to the crews knowing they can rely on one another to get home safely each night.”