We Energies hosted its 62nd annual Boy Scout Electricity Merit Badge Clinic in the Public Service Building auditorium on Dec. 12. The company has hosted the clinics for more than six decades, dating back to 1954.
More than 60 scouts attended the clinic, completing 11 requirements, from building electromagnets to wiring a basic circuit, to earn their electricity merit badges. Scouts also had to pass a written test covering basic electrical principles and safety. Nearly two dozen We Energies employees volunteered their time to help the scouts.
2015 clinic volunteers: (Left to right) Mike Dindinger, Nicholas Mersenski, Mike Neldner, Ted Sniegowski, Lincoln Oro, Dennis Mersenski, Linda Mersenski (obscured), Marko Lucchesi, Dennis Kane, Jay Hoffman, Steve Jenson, Rob Johnson, Lori Peterson, Jerry Lang, Mathieu Sniegowski, Dawn Lemke, Steven Sniegowski, Alex Ohde, Brad Ohde, Steve Bishop, Max Calle
When you pull out those holiday lights, be sure to inspect them carefully. They may have worn during their year in storage. Replace any string lights that have broken cords. Beware of frayed wires and loose bulb connections. Unsafe electrical conditions can cause tree fires.
Also, don’t link more than three light strands together, and be sure not to overload electrical outlets.
When decorating outdoors, be sure to look up and spot potential hazards such as power lines. Never throw a string of lights or other decorations into trees near power lines. Keep ladders, equipment and yourself at least 10 feet from power lines.
Worried about the impact those holiday lights will have on your We Energies bill? Use energy-saving LED lights. Also, set your lights on a timer so you don’t have to worry about forgetting to turn them off at night.
It’s not every day you see a snowy owl up close. So, when one was spotted at Oak Creek Power Plant in early November, some employees took pause. The owl was on the ground and appeared injured. They took the appropriate action to observe the bird rather than approaching it.
As a company, we have a commitment to the environment and encourage our employees to be good environmental stewards. Susan Schumacher, principal ecological scientist with We Energies, was called to the site to check on the bird. After observation, she contacted the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at the Wisconsin Humane Society to come in and rescue the bird.
“We’ve always had a very keen interest in maintaining a good ecological balance at all of our sites. I’m glad it all worked out. Our employees did a really nice job doing the right thing by observing the bird,” said Schumacher.
Snowy owls are native to the arctic tundra but have been showing up in high numbers in Wisconsin over the past few years. The theory is that they are coming south searching for food. They are large birds that can have wingspans up to 4 feet.
The snowy owl was named Ukpik, an Inuit name for snowy owl. He was estimated to be between 3 to 4 years old. He was exhausted, dehydrated and thin. After just a few days, the bird was drinking and eating again.
“Before any animal is released, we do a lot of pre-release conditioning. There are multiple tests we do to make sure he is good to go. He is doing everything he needs to do to be a good, wild, snowy owl. He knows what to do. He’s an adult owl that just needed a little boost this winter,” said Crystal Sharlow-Schaefer, wildlife team leader for the Wisconsin Humane Society's Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.
On Dec. 2, Ukpik was released successfully at Haas Park near Oak Creek Power Plant.
If you’re preparing Thanksgiving dinner and entertaining friends and family this year, consider these money-saving tips to control your energy costs.
Keep oven door closed. Use the window and light to peak at your bird. Every time you open the oven, the temperature inside drops as much as 25 degrees, delaying the progress and adding expense.
Check oven temperature. An oven thermometer is a great way to check out how hot your oven really gets. Many ovens operate at temperatures different than the setting. Test your oven temperature at several settings (325, 350, 375 and 400 degrees F) to find out if your oven runs hot or cool and adjust your settings accordingly.
Clean your reflectors. Keep electric stove burner reflectors free from grime. Clean or replace them.
Match burner to cookware size. Use the right-size pot or pan to reduce heat loss, maximize energy efficiency and heat evenly.
Use convection. If your oven has a convection feature, use it to circulate heated air around the food, reducing required temperature and cooking time.
Use microwave. Microwave cooking is fast and uses less energy than an oven or stove.
Use slow cooker. Although cooking time is longer, slow cookers use less energy than ovens.
Use lids. When using the stove top, put lids on pots and pans to speed heating and to retain heat.
Turn down furnace. If you have the oven going and dishes on the stove, you probably can turn the heat down a few degrees. The heat from your oven along with your guests should add considerable heat to your home.
Use dishwasher. Only hand wash items not dishwasher safe. Dishwashers save your time, energy and water. Always wait for a full load before washing. Save more energy by stopping the heated drying and opening the door for air drying.
Cool leftovers. Cover and allow hot items to cool before placing into refrigerator so it doesn’t need to work as hard.
Strong winds and rain passed through our service territory over the past couple of days. Our crews have been busy. They have restored power to 14,500 customers over the last 24 hours.
We often see tree branches come in contact with our equipment and cause outages. Other unusual debris, however, also can become entangled in our wires.
This morning, our crews discovered a small greenhouse entangled in our wires on the south side of Milwaukee. High winds caused the greenhouse to flip into the wires, causing a power outage.
About 1,400 customers were affected by the incident. All but one had power restored within 45 minutes.
This incident did not cause downed lines, but if you come across downed power lines, or anything touching those lines, stay at least 25 feet away and call 911.
Marine veteran and 17-year We Energies employee, Joe Griffin currently works as manager – power generation support in Oak Creek. What might surprise you: He sees many similarities between his current role and work during his deployment aboard Naval shipping.
Joe Griffin (last on the right, kneeling) in Liberia
“Some of the same equipment and procedures we had in the military are very similar to power generation equipment and procedures,” said Griffin.
A team focus about health and safety is as important to We Energies as it is to the Navy/Marine Corps team.
“In the military, you are one big family. We Energies is one big family, too. You have to rely on the person next to you to stay safe. It’s no different than when I was deployed Naval shipping,” added Griffin.
Griffin was a sergeant in the Marines and spent most of his career in the military police. He also was deployed in the Mediterranean to conduct naval exercises with U.S. allies. In addition, he was deployed to Monrovia, Liberia, where he was part of a noncombatant evacuation of U.S. civilians during the First Liberian Civil War in 1990.
Nov. 11 is Armistice Day, more commonly known as Veterans Day. The day celebrates and honors America’s veterans for their willingness to serve. We Energies has a history of commitment to veterans with generous contributions to Stars and Stripes Honor Flight and Fisher House Wisconsin.
A few years ago, Griffin represented We Energies at a check presentation at Fisher House Wisconsin, where military and veterans’ families will soon be able to stay while loved ones receive treatment at the Clement J. Zablocki V.A. Medical Center in Milwaukee. Fisher House Wisconsin broke ground in June 2014 and is expected to be completed soon.
Fisher House Wisconsin has been a featured charity in We Energies’ Safety Charity Challenge. In 2014, Fisher House won three out of four Safety Charity Challenge votes, securing a total of $30,000 from the We Energies Foundation. Safety Charity Challenge donations are made when employees help the company meet quarterly safety goals.
“It was a natural fit for us, because of the number of veterans who work for We Energies. We know what veterans have gone through. We know what families have gone through, and it was an excellent choice for us,” said Griffin.
We salute Griffin and the many other veterans in the We Energies family this Veterans Day.
Nov. 11 is Armistice Day, more commonly known as Veterans Day. The day is set to celebrate and honor America’s veterans for their willingness to serve. We Energies has a history of commitment to our veterans in a variety of ways, such as Fisher House Wisconsin and Stars and Stripes Honor Flight.
Cody Hughes pictured with his wife
We Energies has a long tradition of recruiting transitioning military to fill its employee ranks. Cody Hughes, operations supervisor at West Allis Operations Center, is one of the many veterans to make that transition.
Hughes started his military career in the Navy ROTC at Purdue University. He had a strong internal drive to serve his country. A tradition of serving the country and community runs in his family. His father is a firefighter and his grandfather was in the Army Reserves.
Hughes joined the Navy and served two tours overseas in the Persian Gulf and the Horn of Africa. He did many jobs during his six years in the Navy, but the job that helped him the most with his transition to We Energies was as an engineering officer on a destroyer.
“Part of the engineering background helped with my transition into We Energies, but mostly the Navy teaches you to be a leader and gives you a diverse skill set,” said Hughes.
At a job fair for transitioning from the military, Hughes met with a number of different employers; We Energies particularly caught his eye. He was hired to work in bulk material handling. Hughes moved up the ranks to supervisor in major projects.
Hughes added, “We Energies has a strong commitment to military. In certain work areas, working here was a natural progression for me and for other people like me.”
We salute Cody Hughes and the many other veterans in the We Energies family on this Veterans Day.
