HOLMDEL,
N.J., Sept. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Jersey
Central Power and Light (JCP&L), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy
Corp. (NYSE: FE), has completed its annual emergency preparation
drill focused on testing its storm restoration process in the event
severe weather causes outages throughout its 13-county service area
this winter season.
Approximately 55 JCP&L employees from the Operations,
Engineering, Safety, Logistics, Communications, External Affairs,
Customer Support, Facilities, Corporate Support, and Planning and
Analysis groups participated in the emergency preparedness
exercise, which was observed by representatives of New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities (BPU).
After two years of virtual drills due to COVID-19, the exercise was
held in-person at the company's Holmdel office.
"There is no such thing as being overprepared for the curveballs
Mother Nature can throw our way," said Jim
Fakult, president of JCP&L. "While our crews have had
plenty of practice already this year with smaller storm responses,
regular emergency drills are another way we work to improve
electric service for our customers, in addition to tree trimming
and projects that harden our electric infrastructure and enhance
its resiliency."
The drill's hypothetical scenario focused on "Winter Storm April," a potent system that
dropped more than 2 feet of snow in several areas of JCP&L's
service territory over two days. Widespread wind gusts exceeded 50
miles per hour. The drill's severe weather toppled trees and
damaged power lines, knocking out electricity to more than 75% of
JCP&L's customers. In the exercise, plows could not keep pace
with the accumulating snow, leaving numerous roads impassable and
slowing crews in their efforts to access damage and make
repairs.
During the training, JCP&L activated its Incident Command
System (ICS). ICS is a nationally recognized and accepted emergency
management structure used by all levels of government, as well as
by many non-governmental and private sector organizations, such as
JCP&L, to improve coordination and collaboration during major
storms or other natural disasters.
As part of the collaboration with local governments, JCP&L
officials have met with representatives of the offices of emergency
management in the counties that make up the company's 1.1-milllion
customer service area.
In the aftermath of a major weather event, JCP&L crews
follow a formal restoration process and typically address outages
that restore the largest number of customers before moving to more
isolated problems. They generally prioritize hospitals and other
critical medical facilities, communications facilities and
emergency response agencies. After that, crews work to restore
power as quickly as possible to the rest of the
customers.
"Our teams are always at the ready and follow a prescribed
process when storms are in the forecast," said Fakult. "Preparation
is important for us, and as the winter season nears, our customers
should start to make sure their families are prepared as well."
For more information about FirstEnergy's storm restoration
process and tips for staying safe, visit the 24/7 Power Center at
www.firstenergycorp.com/outages.
JCP&L is a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE).
JCP&L serves 1.1 million customers in the counties of
Burlington, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union
and Warren. Follow JCP&L on Twitter @JCP_L, on Facebook
at www.facebook.com/JCPandL, or online at www.jcp-l.com.
FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and
operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form
one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems,
serving customers in Ohio,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West
Virginia, Maryland and
New York. The company's
transmission subsidiaries operate more than 24,000 miles of
transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic
regions. Follow FirstEnergy on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp or online
at www.firstenergycorp.com.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jcpl-conducts-annual-storm-restoration-exercise-to-prepare-for-winter-storm-season-301939095.html
SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.