Published 02/27/2007
Johnson, VT - Friday, February 23, 2007 a logger felled a tree through a Vermont Electric Cooperative’s 46kV transmission line in Barton causing a power outage to 1,257 VEC members.

 The outage, which lasted almost four hours, took a particularly long time to restore because the logger did not immediately notify VEC of the cause and location of the outage. VEC lineworkers had to patrol the line on foot to find the outage.

After the logger cut the 40 foot fir tree, it fell across the power line and caused breakers in VEC’s Burton Hill Substation to open. The logger then tried to remove the tree, which was suspended across the power lines. “This was an extremely unsafe and risky thing to do”, said Daniel Poulin, VEC’s Chief Operating Officer. “Had this line remained energized, or become energized as our crews worked to restore power, this logger could have been seriously injured or electrocuted”, added Poulin.

VEC wants to remind anyone that causes or encounters downed power lines to leave the area, immediately notify the power company, and never try to clear the power lines themselves.