Annual Storm Restoration Drill Helps Electric Company Employees Prepare for Severe Weather Events

Rhea-AI Summary

FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company (FE PA) recently completed its annual storm restoration drill, aimed at preparing employees for severe weather events that can cause power outages. This comprehensive exercise involved both in-person and remote participation, simulating real-life storm restoration conditions. The drill tested the emergency response capabilities of West Penn Power and Penn Power, detailing a scenario where severe thunderstorms with wind gusts over 70 mph resulted in widespread outages affecting over 525,000 customers. Additionally, the exercise included a hypothetical situation where two electric substations were significantly damaged. The company's Incident Command System (ICS) was activated to manage the situation. Key focus areas included prioritizing critical facilities and using electronic storm tools to expedite the restoration process.

Positive

• FirstEnergy's annual storm restoration drill improves preparedness for severe weather.
• The drill involved both in-person and remote participation, reflecting real-life conditions.
• The exercise tested response to severe thunderstorms with gusts over 70 mph.
• Over 525,000 customers were hypothetically affected, providing a robust test scenario.
• The Incident Command System (ICS) was activated for coordinated response.
• Critical facilities like hospitals were prioritized in the restoration process.
• FirstEnergy aims to enhance service resilience through regular emergency drills.

Negative

• The drill scenario highlighted potential vulnerabilities in electric substations.
• Restoration processes may be complex and resource-intensive during severe weather events.
• The hypothetical damage to batteries and chargers at substations indicates critical points of failure.

Exercise familiarizes FirstEnergy employees with storm roles and processes

GREENSBURG, Pa., June 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company (FE PA), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) doing business in western and central Pennsylvania as West Penn Power and Penn Power, recently completed a combined emergency preparation drill focused on testing its storm restoration process in the event severe weather causes outages throughout its vast and heavily forested service area.

Individuals participated in the annual storm drill both remotely and in person at West Penn Power's Greensburg headquarters – a hybrid approach similar to how employees conduct real-life restoration activities using electronic storm tools to manage work in the field. The drill was designed to prepare employees for storm restoration duties and review restoration processes and storm-management tools critical to safely and quickly getting the lights back on.

John Hawkins, President of FirstEnergy's Pennsylvania Operations: "Storm drills provide our employees a controlled, no-fault forum to practice and sharpen their skills in preparation for severe weather, including summer thunderstorms packing strong wind gusts. Regular emergency drills are another way we work to improve electric service for our customers, in addition to tree trimming and projects we do to harden our electric infrastructure and enhance its resiliency."

 The drill's primary scenario focused on severe weather with organized lines of powerful June thunderstorms capable of producing gusts of greater than 70 mph sweeping across Pennsylvania. The gusts toppled trees, causing widespread damage to poles and wires and disrupting electric service to more than 425,000 of West Penn Power's 746,000 customers and more than 100,000 of Penn Power's 173,000 customers.

Further complicating the weather drill was a hypothetical second issue that involved significant damage to batteries, battery chargers and other equipment at two electric substations. Drill participants had to quickly puzzle through the safe and efficient restoration of power to customers in the wake of the storm knowing the substations would not be available.

As part of the training, West Penn Power and Penn Power activated their Incident Command System (ICS). ICS is a nationally recognized and accepted emergency management process used by all levels of government – federal, state and local – as well as by many non-governmental organizations and the private sector to coordinate the response to major storms or other natural disasters.

In the aftermath of a major weather event, West Penn Power and Penn Power crews follow a proven restoration process and typically address outages that restore the largest number of customers before moving to more isolated problems. They generally give priority to hospitals and other critical medical facilities, communications facilities and emergency response agencies. After that, crews work to restore power as quickly as possible to the rest of the customers.

For more information about FirstEnergy's storm restoration process and tips for staying safe, visit the 24/7 Power Center at firstenergycorp.com/outages.

Penn Power serves approximately 173,000 customers in all or parts of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Crawford, Lawrence and Mercer counties in western Pennsylvania. Follow Penn Power on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Penn_Power, on Facebook at facebook.com/PennPower, and online at pennpower.com.

West Penn Power serves approximately 746,000 customers in 24 counties within central and southwestern Pennsylvania. Follow West Penn on X @W_Penn_Power and on Facebook at facebook.com/WestPennPower.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Visit FirstEnergy online at firstenergycorp.com and follow FirstEnergy on X @FirstEnergyCorp.

Editor's Note: A photo of FirstEnergy employees conducting a storm drill is available for download on Flickr.

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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.

FAQ

What was the focus of FirstEnergy's recent storm restoration drill?

The drill focused on preparing employees for severe weather events and testing the storm restoration process for West Penn Power and Penn Power.

When did FirstEnergy complete its annual storm restoration drill?

FirstEnergy completed its annual storm restoration drill on June 5, 2024.

What scenario was tested during FirstEnergy's storm drill?

The scenario involved severe thunderstorms with wind gusts over 70 mph causing widespread outages, affecting over 525,000 customers.

How many customers were hypothetically affected in the drill?

Over 525,000 customers were hypothetically affected during the drill.

What is the Incident Command System (ICS) used by FirstEnergy?

ICS is a nationally recognized emergency management process used to coordinate responses to major storms or natural disasters.