West Penn Power conducts annual emergency prep drill

West Penn Power recently conducted its annual emergency preparation drill, testing its storm restoration process in the event severe weather causes outages.

The drill was conducted virtually due to the company’s pandemic protocol, which calls for not gathering for large in-person meetings. Over the past year, West Penn Power employees have conducted storm calls and used electronic tools remotely to manage restoration activities in the field. The drill was designed to prepare employees assigned to storm restoration duties and review restoration processes and storm-management tools.

The hypothetical scenario focused on a powerful storm front that swept into western Pennsylvania from Ohio, spawning three tornados. The tornados caused severe localized damage in Allegheny and Westmoreland Counties, toppling trees, closing roads, and disrupting power to thousands of customers.

“This is a great opportunity for us to practice and sharpen our skills in preparation for thunderstorms and even the occasional tornado as we head into summer months,” John Rea, regional president of West Penn Power, said. “Periodic emergency drills are another way we invest in reliability for our customers, in addition to the tree trimming and the continuous work we do to harden our electric distribution infrastructure and enhance its resiliency.”

One of the simulated tornados damaged West Penn Power’s Greensburg headquarters, rendering it inoperable and injuring key operations personnel. That required rotating different employees into storm management leadership roles and using alternate facilities to dispatch crews and manage the electrical system.

It identified several areas for improvement, including the need to specify in greater detail within the business continuity plan capabilities of secondary locations if West Penn Power’s Greensburg headquarters is inoperable. It also brought to light the need to refine the communications process with families of employees when company facilities are impacted.

West Penn Power, a subsidiary of First Energy Corp., serves approximately 734,000 customers in 24 counties within central and southwestern Pennsylvania.