Rubber Power Poles
APRIL FOOLS!
We’re not actually accepting donations of rubber tires or giving out bill credits – the rubber pole program is not real.
But what is real (and is NOT funny) is that Flathead Electric Co-op did see a record number of vehicle-vs-equipment (poles) accidents in 2021. That trend hasn’t slowed in 2022. We’ve had several this year so far, including four last week alone!
The actual facts:
In 2020 our crews reported 39 vehicle-vs-pole accidents/outages, and in 2021 we reported 60 vehicle-vs-pole accidents/outages. In the past ten years your Co-op had never seen numbers higher than 40 vehicular accidents per year, so this is a significant increase. This is a major concern for the Co-op from both a power reliability and member safety perspective.
We’re not sure why we had so many vehicle-vs-pole accidents last year, but we do want you to know that this is a highly dangerous situation. If you happen to collide with a power pole, stay in your vehicle and call 911. Learn what to do if you happen to find yourself in this unfortunate situation by watching the video below.
Just a reminder, it is NEVER safe to touch or move a downed power line. There’s no way to tell just by looking at a downed wire if it is electrified or not. Your Co-op linemen want you to remember: “if you want to survive, assume it’s LIVE” — never ever touch or go near a downed power line.
