“If you don’ t like the weather, just wait five minutes.” That old joke about weather applies to many places, including our corner of Indiana.
Of course, severe weather can cause an electric service outage — in which case your Tipmont crew gets to work on restoring your service as safely and quickly as possible.
But not all severe weather events are created equal. Here are the levels Tipmont assigns to large-scale outages, as well as some insight into our considerations of strategy and safety.
(An extra note on that last point: Safety is our primary focus during a severe outage response. Regardless of scale, any downed live wire must be addressed first and foremost.)
LEVEL 1 OUTAGE
At Tipmont, a Level 1 outage is typically one that requires more assistance than what our designed on-call crew of linemen can cover. Sometimes we recognize this level right away — such as in the aftermath of a straight-line windstorm or tornado. However, during an ice storm, initially minimal damage can continue to worsen over several hours or days (e.g., weakened tree limbs breaking off and falling into electric lines).
Once we’ve made this determination, we’ll call in additional Tipmont linemen to assist.
LEVEL 2 OUTAGE
A Level 2 outage is typically one that would be difficult for our crew of linemen to cover on their own, that is likely to extend past the 24-hour mark for some Tipmont members, and / or that requires us to rotate crews so they can rest.
But when Mother Nature kicks things up a notch for a Level 2 outage, so can Tipmont.
Because the transmission and distribution lines of electric cooperatives like ours are built to federal standards, any co-op crew can provide support through a shared agreement known as mutual aid.
During a Level 2 outage, Tipmont leadership assesses any need for mutual aid in conjunction with Indiana Electric Cooperatives, our statewide association of electric co-ops. These discussions include which co-ops to ask, how many personnel are required, and what type of equipment is needed.
Meanwhile, in an activity we call “bird-dogging,” our engineers scout our system for damage to report damages and write up work orders for any broken poles. And our storeroom personnel make their way onsite to Tipmont locations to coordinate material needs.
LEVEL 3 OUTAGE
In the event of significant and / or widespread damage — particularly to transmission lines or substation infrastructure — we escalate to Level 3.
Tipmont’s process here is similar to Level 2, only amplified. In an outage that reaches Level 3, we know right away that mutual aid will be required and immediately begin coordinating those plans.
Our operations personnel also begin deploying strategies for how many hours each crew will be out in the field. Establishing an early rotation to let our crews rest helps keep restoration work continuous and safe.
As always: Every Tipmont outage response starts with you. If an electric outage at your home or business lasts longer than five minutes, report it by calling 800-726-3953 or using your SmartHub portal.
