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Florida salutes Gulf Power crews - Panama City
From Panama City Beach to Maine, and all across the U.S., people appreciate linemen.
Gulf Power lineman Mike Wilkes was visiting his wife’s relatives in Maine a few years ago when he stopped to watch a line crew working on a project.
“An older man ambled up and said he used to be a lineman,” said Wilkes, who has worked for Gulf Power for 15 years. “We got to talking and it turned out that back in the ’50s, he worked as a lineman hand-in-hand with my wife’s grandfather — they worked in the same truck! It’s a small world.”
Florida has designated Tuesday, Aug. 26 as Lineworker Appreciation Day to honor all lineworkers.
Wilkes was working as an electrician when started at Gulf Power.
“I always wanted to be a lineman,” he said. “The best thing is turning people’s lights back on, like when we do storm work or if there’s trouble. The crews get together and do the job. That’s the best part of it.”
Gulf Power is proud to salute its lineworkers, who work tirelessly to keep Northwest Florida’s electricity flowing.
“In addition to their daily work, Gulf Power crews often are called to work at night and during holidays to ensure our customers get their power back on,” said Wendell Smith, Gulf Power Vice President of Power Delivery. “These men and women are truly heroes and this day is to honor them.”
Gulf Power has approximately 175 employees who work on the company’s transmission and distribution lines, which total more than 9,300 miles.
They have been especially busy this year in addition to their regular duties. Many were called away from their families in February during the ice storm in Pensacola and again in April when the floodwaters hit. In both events, they were able to restore power in less than 48 hours while working in hazardous conditions.
In 2012, the state Legislature made Aug. 26 Lineworker Appreciation Day in Florida. It was created through the efforts of lawmakers and Tracy Moore, the widow of a Lakeland lineman, who was killed while working.
Part of Gulf Power’s mission is to help other companies when natural disasters knock power out to hundreds of thousands of customers. Earlier this year, Gulf Power sent lineworkers to assist its sister company Georgia Power for a week following an ice storm. In 2013, Gulf Power sent crews out of state to assist other utilities on two different occasions. One of those was a trip to Alabama in March following a series of tornadoes. In December, crews worked to restore power in the Dallas area following an ice storm.
“Our award-winning lineworkers are committed to getting customers’ power back on, whether here in Northwest Florida or across the country,” Smith said. “That’s what they do and we’re proud they are being recognized for their efforts.”
Gulf Power Company is an investor-owned electric utility with all of its common stock owned by Atlanta-based Southern Company. Gulf Power serves more than 430,000 customers in eight counties throughout Northwest Florida. The company’s mission is to safely deliver affordable, reliable and environmentally responsible electric service to our customers while working to improve the communities we serve. Visit online at GulfPower.com or on the company’s Facebook page, “Gulf Power Company.”
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