Co-op News
Tenn. Linemen Honored for Rescue
A pair of co-op linemen who found themselves stranded by floodwaters in Tennessee wound up in a perfect position to lend their strong arms and helping hands to a family in need.
Co-op linemen Stanley Scott (left) and Tommy Fly (right) pay a visit to the recently flooded home of consumer-member Danny Barnes. (Photo By: Duck River Electric Membership Corporation)
Stanley Scott and Tommy Fly have received Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives Power & Hope Awards for helping to rescue five people, including a four-month-old baby, from a home threatened by floodwaters from Tennessee’s Duck River.
The linemen from Duck River Electric Membership Corp., Shelbyville, were checking on a reported power outage in Maury County May 1 when the road ahead and behind them became inundated by the rising water.
When the co-op’s local office contacted the E-911 dispatch center to notify local authorities that the road was impassable, a 911 dispatcher asked if the Duck River Electric crew in the area could check on a nearby family.
“They had water rising in their house and they were really glad to see us,” said Scott. A couple was standing outside with their daughter, her boyfriend and the infant, but getting through the rising waters across the roadway appeared risky.
“I got a rope from the line truck and threw it over to the dad,” said Fly. Once the rope was tied off to the carport and the line truck, Fly waded over to help the family reach dry land, while Scott stood by the truck to help them climb to higher ground.
“We’re glad our linemen were in a position to help our consumer-members get out safely,” said Charles McDonald, director of member services for the co-op. “They even stopped by once the water receded to check on the family.”