Dimming the lights on Valentine's Day can set a romantic mood. A total power blackout caused by a party balloon – not so much.
We would like to provide these balloon safety tips:
Helium-filled metallic or Mylar balloons caused more than a dozen power outages affecting more than 18,000 of our customers in 2016. The metallic surface of the balloon can act as a conductor, creating a short circuit in a power line.
Balloons typically are found on power lines in residential areas. That’s cause for great concern because lines damaged by a short circuit from a balloon could fall across fences or in front of homes.
No matter the cause, downed power lines can be energized and dangerous. Always stay at least 25 feet away and tell others to do the same. Call us at 800-662-4797 to report a downed line.
We Energies employees, including members of its Women’s Development Network, provided, prepared and served dinner Thursday for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Wauwatosa.
Together the volunteers prepared fresh garden salad, watermelon and blueberry fruit salad, more than 20 pounds of meat for sloppy Joes, and nearly 1,000 tater tots, along with various relishes and desserts. Other employees who were unable to attend helped purchase food ahead of time.
The evening marked We Energies employees’ latest support of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Wisconsin, which provides a home away from home for families with children who are hospitalized. In 2016, in addition to volunteering for other Family Meal Program opportunities, they selected the organization to receive a $10,000 gift from the We Energies Foundation through the company’s Safety Charity Challenge. A similar $10,000 gift was made in 2015.
“It’s always good to give back to the community and see a smile on the kids’ and parents’ faces. They’ve been through so much,” said Cindy Gaffney, ITS Service Desk representative.
“As citizens, it’s our duty to serve those who are dealing with these major life issues. It’s important to let them know people care,” said Leonard Brown, operations supervisor – gas operations and third-time company volunteer for the Family Meal Program. “Everyone goes through things where they need to feel that others will say ‘I care about you and I support you.’”
The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Wisconsin’s Family Meal Program regularly provides meals for guest families who have spent the day with their seriously ill children receiving treatment at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. Since 1984, the facility has provided more than 38,000 family stays for families from 569 Wisconsin communities, all 50 states and dozens of countries around the world. Contact Ronald McDonald House Charities at 414-475-5333 for more information.
Huddle up and consider these energy-saving plays before your Big Game party:
Tackle your old TV: Energy Star televisions are typically 25 percent more efficient than conventional models.
Score an extra point with a power strip: By plugging your TV and other electronics into an advanced power strip, you can turn everything off at once. You won’t have to worry about idle electronics using phantom energy.
Sack your stove: Using a microwave or slow cooker to make your party food uses less energy than firing up the oven.
Run a reverse on your thermostat: Setting it a few degrees lower may not be noticeable with a house full of guests warming your home naturally.
Colder weather lends itself to cozier beds, with warm pajamas, flannel sheets and heavy comforters combining to make the perfect winter refuge. For some people, that means adding an electric blanket, too. If that includes you, keep these tips from the Electric Blanket Institute in mind:
Make sure your electric blanket lies flat. Don’t bunch it, fold it or let it get balled up between the mattress and footboard, and don’t tuck it in. Heat could get trapped and damage the heating elements.
Protect the wires and cords from getting pinched. Don’t use electric blankets with adjustable beds, Murphy beds, pull-out sofas or recliners, where the heating elements can get caught and damaged.
Don’t use an electric blanket and a heated mattress pad at the same time. It can lead to overheating.
Don’t run cords between the mattress and box spring.
Keep pets away from electric blankets. Their teeth and claws can puncture wire insulation and damage the wires.
Also be sure to keep your electric blanket on top of your bedding. Don’t cover it with other blankets, pillows or stuffed animals when it’s on. Don’t lie on it, and don’t let your pets lie on it either. Turn blankets off when not in use.
Have you had your blanket for a while? Consider replacing it, especially if it’s older than 10 years. According to the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI), heated pads and electric blankets cause almost 500 fires each year – most of which involve electric blankets that are more than 10 years old. And remember, infants, young children, older adults, and paralyzed or heat-insensitive individuals should never use an electric blanket.
One extra safe sleeping suggestion: Don’t tuck electronics of any kind under your pillow. They can overheat there and start a fire. Set them on the nightstand or a nearby dresser instead.
“From the Innovative Weather Center at UW-Milwaukee, I’m Mackenzie Nuthals...”
You may have heard this introduction by UW-Milwaukee atmospheric science students providing the weather forecasts on WUWM radio. These interns not only are learning to provide forecasts for media but also how to provide forecasts for companies such as We Energies.
“On a daily basis, they provide a regular weather outlook of what we can expect: wind speeds, temps and potential lightning, anything that might impact our system,” said Duane Miller, manager – gas and electric operations at We Energies.
Their forecasts help us prepare and plan for what our customers and crews may face when a weather system moves in. This year’s interns recently toured our Pewaukee operations center where they learned how we use their forecasts.
Mike Westendorf, director of operations at Innovative Weather, had a vision when he began his partnership with us several years ago.
”We Energies wanted to have an entity that could interpret the weather and see it through their eyes. Since that time, We Energies has been our best and longest partner in this,” said Westendorf.
He explains that there’s a training component to the program offered by clients such as We Energies to help students grow into more confident forecasters.
Alli Keclik, Innovative Weather intern, said, “We are trying the best we can, so We Energies can do the best for its customers.”
Keclik is one of those confident forecasters. She says that she grew up loving the weather, which led her to study meteorology. She recently received her M.S. in atmospheric science degree. Her experience at Innovative Weather helped her get a job at the National Weather Service.
“This is definitely going to help me when I go out to the National Weather Service and will continue to help me in the future,” she said.
Westendorf echoes that sentiment, saying that UW-Milwaukee wants to train and educate young people to be productive members of their communities.
“What I love about this program is that We Energies is providing an opportunity for them to grow and to have skills that will make the students not only employable but also potential leaders wherever they go in the future,” he said.
It’s been a busy year at We Energies. As we get ready to ring in 2017, we thought we’d take a look back at 2016.
Our employees never hesitated to go above and beyond in the field. One of our troubleshooters saved a choking woman by performing CPR. Another found a loaded gun on the street and handed it over to Milwaukee Police. And there was a cute kitten who needed rescuing from atop a utility junction box in Kenosha.
Man’s best friend helped spread our safety messages on several occasions. Abby the “super dog” alerted her family about a carbon monoxide leak. Job, a Lhasa mix, warned his owners about a natural gas leak. And the dynamic duo of Darby and Boca won our Safe Digging contest to help promote calling 811 before digging.
Customers got good news about their bills. In May, we reported that residential customer bills were the lowest in more than a decade.
Gas seasonal inspector Jason Feucht was driving to a job in Oconto County last week when he saw a disabled man shoveling snow. The man had climbed out of his motorized wheelchair and was trying to shovel deep snow at the end of his driveway.
Tom Pienta
Feucht pulled over and asked if the man needed help. Tom Pienta said, yes, he could use a helping hand.
“It was wonderful,” Pienta later said. “A Christmas miracle.”
Pienta was trying to shovel a path for his scooter to get to his mailbox. Feucht didn’t just shovel a path. He cleared the entire end of the driveway and retrieved Pienta’s mail, too.
“I just did something any one of us would do,” said Feucht.
Pienta was so pleased, he posted a thank-you note on his Facebook page. Pienta’s children went a step further, emailing the company to thank Feucht.
Gas seasonal inspector Jason Feucht
“It’s so nice and refreshing that someone takes the time to offer a helping hand,” said Pienta’s daughter, Rachelle, who lives in Ohio and learned about the incident afterward. “It makes me happy to know someone was there to help.”
During his short visit, Feucht learned that Pienta is a veteran. Feucht says he made sure to thank Pienta for his service to our country.
“The inspiration is really Pienta, to see him out there trying to shovel,” said Feucht. “I was just glad to be in the right place at the right time to help.”
