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Jan 23 , 2012
Moscow Pullman Daily News editorial says it all
Post by Brandi Smith
Below is an excerpt from a Moscow Pullman Daily News editorial published on Saturday, Jan. 21. We want to share it with you because we take great pride in serving our customers as quickly as possible. Whether it’s in the midst of a storm or just a normal day, you can always count on the people who work at Avista to respond quickly and efficiently no matter what the weather does.
With snow, ice, power outages, remember to say ‘thanks’
Written by Lee Rozen/M-P Daily News
Odd that a snow and ice storm, downed trees and power failures can get us feeling thankful.
Living here on the Palouse gives us a lot to be thankful for.
But we think the quick response and fast recovery from the chaos of Thursday night and Friday morning deserves extra thanks.
In some places with privately owned power companies, the response might still be getting organized. But Thursday night, we were glad for every dollar we pay Avista in our monthly power bill. As the deluge of ice and snow brought down trees and branches on power lines and caused transformers to explode, Avista moved quickly and efficiently to repair the damage or route around it. And then do it again. And again. (continued/login required.)
A login to the Moscow Pullman Daily News website is required to view the whole story here. Jan 18 , 2012
An Avista electric crew spent a few hours today replacing a utility pole at our Beacon Substation in East Spokane. The original pole caught fire this morning, the exact cause was undetermined. The crew dug through roughly a foot of frost and frozen dirt around the pole before it could be removed. The new pole was placed in the same location as the original. The power lines were temporarily affixed to a nearby pole before being installed permanently on the new pole.
At 11 a.m., temperatures where hovering around 25 degrees with blowing snow at the job site. According to crew members the cold isn’t an issue, they are used to that. The trouble with snow is when they set down a piece of equipment to prep it for installation - the snow buries it in just minutes.
Preparing for an outage
Avista crews are prepared to work in any weather condition to restore your power as quickly and safely as possible. As the snow piles up around our service territory, we expect outages. You can count on Avista to get the lights back on right away, but it’s always best to be prepared at home. Check out these winter weather tips to keep in mind. Nov 30 , 2010
Customer shares her experience with Avista through e-mail and photos
Often times we get e-mails from customers expressing thanks for the work our employees do. We try to share them in our internal communications newsletters and employee meetings – but this note and set of photos goes a little above and beyond what we typically receive and I think it’s worth sharing here on the Avista Blog. I really appreciate the customer who sent these in. Enjoy.
"I just wanted Avista to know what great service we have here in St. Maries. At around 3:30 a.m. this Sunday morning (Oct. 24), someone crashed into the electrical pole across the street from our home, causing a power outage. This has happened before, in and around town, and our service has always been on very quickly. But this time I was able to see why. What a well-oiled crew you have! Even during the dark, your crew assessed the problem with the help of our police dept., and secured the street for safe passage.
At first light the work crew was out here and began work. I was very impressed at the way they just got in there and began work. Definitely a crew that was very experienced and knowledgeable. Of course they are well trained, but these guys (in the pouring rain almost the entire time) never missed a beat.
I think all who work outside on a regular basis for our needs, deserve our thanks more often than they hear. It was a pleasure to watch them, and I now know what it takes to replace those huge poles and lines!
I wish my young grandchildren could have been here to see how well they all worked together in addition to the very interesting lesson of what it takes to replace an electrical pole.
I am a picture taker, and I hope you enjoy seeing your hard-working crew in action. Our power was on so fast, my husband didn't have to drag out the generator ... it was on before daylight! Thanks again for the fast service, and all the work you do."
-Linda, North Idaho
If you have photos or stories to tell about work Avista has done in your area, e-mail the Blog and let us know.
Nov 17 , 2010
Potlatch video
Post & Video by Dan KolbetYesterday I met up with several Avista electric line crews restoring power near Potlatch, Idaho. This video shows the clean up and restoration effort along Hwy 95. The audio quality is really pretty poor, sorry about that – but it shows just how windy it was out there even hours after the main storm had passed. At one point my camera even blew over – go figure.
When I left the site last night, new steel poles had been delivered and were being erected. Avista estimates that power should be restored to the majority of customers in the area by this evening, but smaller pockets of customers may remain without power. Avista crews will continue to work until all customers have been returned to service. Customers are urged to contact Avista late this evening at 1(800)227-9187 if their power has not been restored, as there may be damage to nearby power lines, which has yet to be reported.
Shelter opened in Potlatch for residents without power
The City of Potlatch, Idaho has opened a warming shelter in the city for area residents who remain without power from Monday night’s wind storm. The shelter is located at Eastern Star’s Rebekah Hall on Pine Street in Potlatch. Avista is partnering with the City of Potlatch and Latah County Disaster Services to coordinate this effort.
The shelter is heated and will offer food and beverages to those in need. The shelter opened early Wednesday morning and is tentatively scheduled to remain open until at least 8 p.m. tonight. For more information about the shelter, please contact Sandy Rollins, Latah County Disaster Services at (208)883-2265 or (509)330-0676.
Nov 16 , 2010
Tuesday’s early morning wind storm damaged up to 11 transmission structures on Idaho’s Hwy 95, south of Potlatch and north of Moscow. The poles were likely pulled down in a domino effect, with wires pulling down the next structure and each smashing into the highway.
The slideshow at the top of this post shows the transmission line damage and restoration on Hwy 95 south of Potlatch.
Crews from several parts of Avista’s service territory worked to safely remove the poles and wire from the roadway, frequently using chainsaws and wenches to heft the debris to the side of the road. New steel transmission structures and assorted items were delivered to the site on Tuesday afternoon. Erecting those structures will take into Wednesday at least. Just over 1,100 customers were impacted by this outage.
Across our service territory Tuesday, Avista employees worked tirelessly to restore power and keep customers up to date. At its peak roughly 45,000 customers were without power. As of 6:15 p.m. Tuesday night, just 6,600 customer remain without power. Due to the extent of the storm’s damage some customers will remain without power at least through early Wednesday morning.
For the most current information on outages click here.
Jun 09 , 2010
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This power pole was ripped from the ground during a powerful storm in the
Lewiston/Clarkston Valley in early May. One damaged area was so
remote that our crews had to build a road to access it. |
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| Post by Sarah Hilbert
When the power goes out – we go all-out for you. In early May, a strong windstorm in the Lewiston/Clarkston area caused many outages, taking out power to 18,000 customers at its peak. Poles were snapped in half and downed power lines were strewn about in hard-to-access areas throughout the Clarkston Valley.
One concentrated outage had taken out 7,526 customers. Most of our customers were restored after we rerouted power over serviceable power lines; however, a few customers remained out for hours until the final repairs were made. This post should give you an idea of what goes on during a large power outage.
This day was challenging because it involved a large number of damaged transmission structures/lines, which serve thousands of customers, plus distribution lines – which serve neighborhoods. Many of the lines were in very remote locations, which are difficult to access quickly.
All hands on deck
We were able to restore power to most of our customers in short order thanks to an all-hands-on-deck approach. We assessed the damage quickly and assisted the local first responders, while beginning the restoration work out of our Pullman and Clarkston offices.
Initially, crews could not even reach the most damaged feeder (a large power line serving many customers) because it was so remote. But within a few hours, we worked with customers to get approvals to access their property and contractors to use equipment to build a construction road, greatly decreasing the repair time.
In order to get the materials we needed to get the lights back on, we had to pull items from several warehouses throughout our service territory – and fast. Even gas department employees (who don’t typically work on the electric service side) got in the mix by pre-assembling steel poles and transporting materials.
Hearing from you
Our Contact Center call volume spikes when large outages occur. More than 18,400 calls came in on during this storm day. Fortunately, 62 percent of the calls were handled through our automated phone system, doing the work of 150 full-time employees. This both saved you on-hold time and money, through fewer employees. Our reps personally handled nearly 7,000 calls, well into the night.
When the lights go out, you know we’re committed to getting you back on line as quickly and safely as possible. Yet we don’t often detail what lengths our employees in the field go through to restore power. This outage wasn’t typical, given the number of damaged structures, but our response was – working as a team to provide the best service possible for our customers.
Jun 08 , 2010
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A helicopter, similar to this one, will be used to assist in placing new power poles in the St. Joe River Valley
next week. This shot was taken in 2007 when a helicopter was used on the Washington and Idaho Palouse
to pull a new transmission line across a large span. |
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The poles being replaced next week were inspected
in the company’s Wood Pole Replacement program.
Under the program, a percentage of Avista’s over
274,000 service-area poles are evaluated each
year to help ensure reliability of the company’s
electric system. In 2009, Avista spent over $8.2
million on the program. This image shows a crew
reinforcing a wood pole with steel shanks. | About 350 Avista customers in the St. Joe River Valley will experience power outages June 15 thru 17, from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day as Avista crews work to replace nine power poles in remote locations, requiring the use of a helicopter.
The outages will affect customers on St. Joe River Road (NFD50) from Scott’s Logging at mile marker 14 to Avery, Idaho.
Over the past year, power poles in portions of the St. Maries area, including the St. Joe River Valley, have been inspected as part of Avista’s on-going Wood Pole Replacement program. Under the program, a percentage of Avista’s over 274,000 service-area poles are evaluated each year to help ensure reliability of the company’s electric system. In 2009, Avista spent over $8.2 million on the program.
According to Matt Swan, Avista’s local representative in St. Maries, pole repairs identified through the inspection having the least impact on St. Maries-area customers have been completed. The remaining work of replacing poles is now causing service interruptions.
“We apologize for the inconvenience this series of outages could create and appreciate the patience for our customers. We encourage those with special considerations to make alternative arrangements during this time frame,” Swan said. “Our crews, with the assistance of a helicopter, will work as quickly and safely as possible to return everyone to service.”
Jan 26 , 2010
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An Avista crew fixing
an outage in winter
2008. | Post by Dan Kolbet
I saw this story getting passed around twitter today. Turns out a power outage for this particular family in the Mid-West, gave them a chance to slow down and reconnect (so to speak).
Have you ever have an experience like this?
Dec 10 , 2009
We’ve recently added a new feature to the Avista Utilities website that allows you to report a power outage. Of course, you’ve always been able to call our 1-800-227-9187 customer service number to report an outage, but many people like quick web interactions and we’re serving that need.
“Several years ago, when we were planning what to offer on the web, we looked at the E Source survey results info to determine what customers want on a site,” said Systems Business Analyst Janna Leaf. “Customers clearly indicated to E Source that they want the ability to report an outage on the web. So it's always been our intention to offer the service to our customers, and I believe this will be a great option for our customers.”
In today’s age of technology, it simply makes sense to be able to report an outage on the web.
The new feature offers the same self service options as the current telephone outage reporting system. The customer goes here and reports the outage using an address, phone number or account number. The information provided must match an Avista customer with electric service. We’ve also placed safeguards on information to ensure privacy.
You also get the opportunity to provide detailed outage information, such descriptions of what you saw or heard such as “saw arcing wire” or “heard loud bang” to better assist dispatchers.
Another feature with reporting an outage includes the option of a call back request if there is a change in resolution time or when power is restored. You can also view maps of your area to see how many outages are around you.
No power, no access right?
We all know you can’t use your desktop computer if your power is out. With today’s wireless culture, the new outage reporting function serves the needs of customers who prefer instant online communication and are wireless. The person making the outage report could also be a third party reporting on behalf of the customer.
Reporting an outage on the web is a great option for customers with internet on a mobile phone or wireless laptops. The site may not work on all mobile browsers. In that case, the 1-800-227-9187 number is the best bet.
Another good example of reporting an outage online is when a child comes home after school and there is no power, they can call a parent who can report the outage from their computer or phone.
Avista strives to keep in step with the technology that is being used by our customers. Having the option to report an outage online is another step forward in the right direction.
Sep 22 , 2009
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Avista crews work on a substation in Pullman last spring. |
About 3,400 Avista customers in Deer Park and Clayton will briefly lose power on Tuesday, Sept. 29 and Wednesday, Sept. 30, between 4 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. Crews will be performing maintenance on the substation serving the area.
“We apologize for the inconvenience these two brief outages will cause. However, it is important that we create a safe environment in which crews can work,” said Frank Binder, Avista’s operations supervisor for Deer Park in a news release. “Maintenance on the substation will help ensure the reliability of the equipment serving our customers.”
Like I’ve said before with planned outages – make sure your alarm has a battery or charge your cell phone the night before and set the alarm on that. No excuses for being late to work, right?
We do planned outages because there is some work that we’re not able to perform on live electric lines or equipment. For the safety of our crews and the public, we shut off the juice for a period of time. We do our best to let people know about planned outages through flyers, notices in the newspaper, phone calls and even this blog and website – but it’s easy to miss that stuff. If you know of a neighbor, friend or family member who might have missed these notices, do us and them a favor and give them a ring to double check.
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