SHREWSBURY – Shrewsbury Electric & Cable Operations (SELCO) recently helped other towns in need.
On Jan. 4, SELCO received an official commendation from the American Public Power Association for its support in electric power restoration efforts in Calais, Maine, and Wallingford, Conn.
On Dec. 19, SELCO sent one crew of two linemen to Wallingford to assist the Wallingford Electric Department. The town had suffered widespread outages as a result of a windstorm on Dec. 18.
After helping, the crew – which consisted of Jerry Ago and Jon Bishop – was dispatched to the Eastern Maine Electric Cooperative from Dec. 21 to Dec. 24. Ago and Bishop worked 16- to 18-hour days to restore power to New England homes before the holidays.
According to an official statement by SELCO, the men “climbed poles that were unreachable by bucket truck, and rebuilt pole lines in devastated areas. Jerry and Jon… shortened their holiday season so others in New England could have power for theirs. They also gained valuable outage restoration experience and practices that will benefit them and SELCO during the next major weather event.”
SELCO General Manager Christopher Roy said, “Mutual aid is incredibly valuable not just to the community in need of assistance, but also to the crews who get to experience the gratitude of helping those in need while testing their skills when people need it most.”
SELCO participates in the American Public Power Association’s Mutual Aid Network, which coordinates with utilities and authorities during widespread power outages.
