Our customer contact center's role in the hours following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, were reported in news coverage about the event's 10th anniversary.
After the attacks, the U.S. Department of Justice contacted us to ask if we could lend our call center expertise to be a point of contact for family and friends of victims who were seeking information about loved ones who may have been among the thousands who were injured, killed or missing. More than 700 employees – from the contact center and other departments – handled more than 14,000 calls from concerned family members in a little more than two days following the attacks.
Employees interviewed by WISN-TV shared their personal recollections:
WISN-TV report
Monday, September 12, 2011
Friday, September 2, 2011
Crews work to repair extensive Fox Valley damage
Crews from other areas were sent to assist in the Fox Valley restoration effort. In addition to the work of We Energies forestry crews, Appleton’s forestry department is helping clear the city’s main thoroughfares. When the damaged trees are removed, restoration of power can begin.Due to the extensive damage across several counties in the Fox Valley, the restoration will take longer than usual. While some customers are being restored today, we estimate that it will be late Sunday or early Monday morning before most repairs are completed.
We remind customers to stay away from any line that is down and anything touching it. Always assume a power line is energized.
Customers can view the extent of the outages on our outage map.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Line crews travel to Rhode Island to assist with power restoration following Hurricane Irene
Responding to a call for assistance, we sent sent 29 employees — four managers and supervisors, 24 line personnel and one fleet technician — to Providence, R.I., to help restore power knocked out by Hurricane Irene. The crews left the Racine Service Center Aug. 31, around 9:30 a.m. to assist National Grid.
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| The caravan forms for the trip to Rhode Island. |
Monday, August 29, 2011
Employees' bike donations start journey toward helping others
Employees rolled into our West Allis Operations Center last Saturday to drop off 57 gently used bikes and one trike -- all to help others in a number of ways.
Welcoming the arrival of the donated wheels was the staff of DreamBikes, a nonprofit organization that refurbishes bikes and re-sells them at reasonable prices, primarily to families in low-income communities. A number of the bikes donated by our employees will be donated to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee on behalf of We Energies.
DreamBikes hires youth enrolled in the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee Area’s Career Launch Program, which helps teens from 14 to 18 years of age learn skills related to computer systems, bicycle repair, customer service and sales, all while under professional management in a safe environment. DreamBikes always welcomes used bikes for its inventory as well as donations of time, money and materials. Learn more at http://dream-bikes.org/.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Employees assist Wounded Warriors Project
Employees in a number of We Energies departments often decide to get involved in volunteer projects as team-building efforts or just to take action when they think it's the right thing to do. Earlier this year, Supply Chain employees felt it was right to get involved in the Wounded Warriors Project, which supports returning military service people who require hospitalization or rehabilitation due to injuries received while deployed.
“Many of our employees, friends or family members are or have been deployed to the Middle East,” explained Gail DeVeau, director – supply chain. DeVeau learned about the Wounded Warriors Project from a high school classmate during their high school reunion last summer. He told her about his involvement in the project. “Shortly after that, one of our supply chain employees was redeployed to Afghanistan. He had been seriously injured on a previous deployment,” she said.
DeVeau brought the idea back to her team. “This was a great way for us to help and to demonstrate that we care,” she said. Wounded Warriors asked the group to collect 500 bottles of Axe shower gel and 500 Gillette razors.
Employees responded enthusiastically. They exceeded the goal on both items. The shower gel and razors were stuffed into backpacks along with other donations and sent to four hospitals where wounded service people are treated.
“Many of our employees, friends or family members are or have been deployed to the Middle East,” explained Gail DeVeau, director – supply chain. DeVeau learned about the Wounded Warriors Project from a high school classmate during their high school reunion last summer. He told her about his involvement in the project. “Shortly after that, one of our supply chain employees was redeployed to Afghanistan. He had been seriously injured on a previous deployment,” she said.
DeVeau brought the idea back to her team. “This was a great way for us to help and to demonstrate that we care,” she said. Wounded Warriors asked the group to collect 500 bottles of Axe shower gel and 500 Gillette razors.
Employees responded enthusiastically. They exceeded the goal on both items. The shower gel and razors were stuffed into backpacks along with other donations and sent to four hospitals where wounded service people are treated.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Meter reader protects public from downed wire
Raul, a meter reader who works out of the Kenosha-Racine Service Center, took appropriate action on July 1 when he noticed a downed wire that was resting on two vehicles parked at a senior assisted-living facility in Kenosha. The wire was one of hundreds that had come down following a storm that hit cities and communities in southeast Wisconsin the evening of June 30.
With the safety of our customers as his top concern, he stopped his meter reading duties to handle the emergency. He taped off the area to prevent anyone from coming in contact with the line and then called our power outage hotline to report the downed wire's location.
He stayed at the site until a crew arrived to make the area safe. While waiting, he had to stop an employee of the senior complex who wanted to duck under the yellow safety tape to get into his car – one of the vehicles under the downed line. He also talked to a group of children who were playing in an adjacent yard, warning them of the dangers of going near the downed wire.
“Safety of others is always more important than reading meters,” Raul said.
With the safety of our customers as his top concern, he stopped his meter reading duties to handle the emergency. He taped off the area to prevent anyone from coming in contact with the line and then called our power outage hotline to report the downed wire's location.
He stayed at the site until a crew arrived to make the area safe. While waiting, he had to stop an employee of the senior complex who wanted to duck under the yellow safety tape to get into his car – one of the vehicles under the downed line. He also talked to a group of children who were playing in an adjacent yard, warning them of the dangers of going near the downed wire.
“Safety of others is always more important than reading meters,” Raul said.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
AC: leave it on -- or turn it on and off?
Here's a question we hear a lot, especially during heat waves:
Is it better to leave air conditioning running at the same temperature all day -- or turn it off (or raise the temperature) when leaving your home?
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) says to turn if off or raise the temperature when you leave.
Turning it off and on saves a fair amount of energy and helps air conditioners work more efficiently, according to ACEEE. While it may seem that air conditioners work harder to cool a space down from 80 to 76 degrees, the units run more efficiently and dehumidify better. If you have central air--or a window unit with a thermostat--you can save energy by setting the thermostat to a higher temperature when you are out. ACEEE estimates that air conditioners use 3 to 5 percent less energy for every degree you raise the thermostat. ACEEE recommends a thermostat setting of 78 degrees or higher when you’re out.
Fans can help, too. Fans don’t cool a room, but the moving air makes you feel more comfortable at a higher temperature, allowing you to set the thermostat higher and help you feel cool while using less energy. Because fans don’t reduce room temperature, remember to turn them off when no one is in the room.
Is it better to leave air conditioning running at the same temperature all day -- or turn it off (or raise the temperature) when leaving your home?
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) says to turn if off or raise the temperature when you leave.
Turning it off and on saves a fair amount of energy and helps air conditioners work more efficiently, according to ACEEE. While it may seem that air conditioners work harder to cool a space down from 80 to 76 degrees, the units run more efficiently and dehumidify better. If you have central air--or a window unit with a thermostat--you can save energy by setting the thermostat to a higher temperature when you are out. ACEEE estimates that air conditioners use 3 to 5 percent less energy for every degree you raise the thermostat. ACEEE recommends a thermostat setting of 78 degrees or higher when you’re out.
Fans can help, too. Fans don’t cool a room, but the moving air makes you feel more comfortable at a higher temperature, allowing you to set the thermostat higher and help you feel cool while using less energy. Because fans don’t reduce room temperature, remember to turn them off when no one is in the room.
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