Electric Co-op Today

An Indiana electric cooperative is using its equipment and the skills of one of its linemen to improve public safety in its service territory.

Craig Smart, a Jasper REMC journeyman lineman, hoists and sets a warning siren on top of a pole for installation by a contractor. (Photo By: Stephanie Johnson/Jasper County REMC)

Jasper County REMC has been a full partner in the pole work needed to deploy a new generation of warning sirens throughout the county.

“This is our contribution to public safety,” said Stephanie Johnson, director of member services for the Rensselaer-based co-op. “These weather emergency sirens are part of the county’s system to provide people with as much notice as possible when the weather is changing and people need to take cover.”

Jasper County’s Emergency Management Department received a $215,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help cover the costs of 14 additional sirens, including one being installed by the city of Rensselaer. The county is located in a part of Indiana often threatened by tornadoes and wind storms.

“Jasper REMC has been kind enough to donate its time, personnel and equipment to help us stretch our soft cost contribution to this project,” said Karen Wilson, the county’s director of emergency management. “These are being installed throughout the county to cover mobile home parks, rural subdivisions and outdoor recreation areas.”

The co-op helped install four sirens for the county in 2007; this time it is installing 13 more on 50-foot poles similar to those maintained in the co-op’s inventory. The project should be completed by late January, barring foul weather.

The co-op’s commitment to the project extends to covering the expense for the electricity needed to run sirens located on its service lines and not charging a facility charge for each pole, said Bryan Washburn, the co-op’s CEO. “Donating the cost of the small amount of power the sirens use is the right thing to do.”

Tags: Co-op News, Commitment to Community, Local Initiatives