Gulf Power Company crews drove long hours, worked in high winds, rain and snow far away from home and their families in 2012. For their efforts, the company has been selected as a winner of the Edison Electric Institute 2012 Emergency Assistance Award.

The award recognizes the company for its restoration support in the recovery from the June storm in Virginia and Hurricanes Isaac and Sandy.

“Assisting other utilities with getting their customers’ power back on is all about customer value,” said Jeff Rogers, Corporate Communications manager. “Plus, it keeps our skills honed should a storm affect our customer area.”

EEI is the association of U.S. shareholder-owned electric companies. The awards were announced at the January association meeting this morning.

One unusual aspect of this year’s award is that another utility nominated Gulf Power. Dominion Virginia Power submitted a Gulf Power nomination after the storm team assisted that utility following the heavy storms in Virginia.

Paul Koonce, CEO of Dominion Virginia Power, said he made the nomination in honor of Jackie Green, a Line Tech II for Gulf Power, who died in a vehicle accident while working storm duty.

“The Gulf Power team demonstrated courage and professionalism in the face of adversity and left a profound impact on the Dominion Virginia Power organization lasting far beyond the end of the successful restoration effort,” Koonce wrote in the nomination. “Restoration and mutual assistance is about more than poles, wire and cross arms. It is about the extraordinary people who volunteer for restoration efforts and their families, and about helping the people on the other side of the meter regardless of whether they are in Florida, Virginia or points in between.”

In 2012, Gulf Power storm teams assisted on six different events.  The company sent 63 personnel to Virginia; 48 to Mississippi following Hurricane Isaac; and 70 to the Northeast following Hurricane Sandy. That team spent 17 days working in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Most recently, a storm team just returned from six days in Arkansas, following a snowstorm on Christmas Day. 

“It was a busy year for storm teams,” Rogers said. “Our employees spent a lot of time away from their families to help others. That’s a strong commitment to help communities whether it’s here in Northwest Florida or wherever help is needed.”

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.”