With the help of I&M employees, Elkhart Firefighters practiced saving a life in an underground utility vault.
Doing something you haven’t recently done, or something you’ve never done, could set you up for an injury or a mistake. That’s why recently I&M partnered with the Elkhart Fire Department for a life-saving training.
To ensure I&M employees and Elkhart firefighters are familiar and know the right steps, both groups, along with I&M’s Distribution Dispatch Center (DDC), participated in a rescue training in an underground vault. I&M’s underground system incorporates network protectors and equipment in vaults, including transformers. Some of the transformers are the size of small vehicles and can range from 500 kilovolt-ampere (KVA) to 3,500 KVA.
South Bend and Elkhart network crews opened a maintenance hole allowing the Elkhart Fire Department to go through a real-life scenario inside the vault to rescue a fake life-size weighted figure meant to simulate an unconscious I&M network employee.
“Confined rescues, or vault rescues aren’t something we do every day. It’s great to work with I&M to see the equipment they use and to get our equipment out and use it,” said Kevin Lehmann, Elkhart Fire Department Lieutenant, Truck 18. “It’s great to establish an open line of communication in the event something like this should happen in real-life we will be ready.”
South Bend/Elkhart Network employees debrief with Elkhart firefighters after the safety training in downtown Elkhart.
Elkhart firefighters climbed down the maintenance hole, assessed the situation and the “victim,” and proceeded to make safe arrangements to hoist the “victim” out of the hole using a rigid back brace.
“The goal is that everyone goes home in the same or condition than they arrived. This firsthand training is a visual representation of that commitment to our employees and our first responders,” said John Albrizio, Distribution Line Coordinator Sr. and training organizer. “Thank you to the network crews and the Distribution Dispatch Center for participating in the training so we could make it as real a scenario as possible.”
I&M has underground networks in Elkhart, Fort Wayne, Muncie, and South Bend. Across our service area, I&M has 24 network lineworkers that diligently monitor, prepare, and safeguard the underground electrical network. I&M’s parent company, American Electric Power (AEP) has a Network Training Program with 16 weeks of formal training spread out across four years, including several on-site learning opportunities. For more career opportunities at I&M and our parent company, American Electric Power (AEP), click here.