Midland Power Cooperative along with other electric cooperatives, Alliant Energy and MidAmerican Energy joined together to sponsor specialized first responder training during the 91st annual State Fire School session in Ames from Feb 27-March 1. The electric utilities are sponsoring two identical three-hour workshops, Responding to Electrical Emergencies – Solar and Wind Power, which will be led by renown instructor Mike Callan. The workshops will familiarize responders with the hazards of electricity in general, along with the unique hazards of solar and wind electricity generation. Participants will discuss the hazards, equipment, safety, and general response tactics for first responders.
Callan will also present an extensive all-day course, Responding to Electrical Emergencies – Solar and Wind Power: Train-the-Trainer, that will provide proper tools and training for Fire Service Training Bureau field staff. These individuals will then use that knowledge to train additional first responders across the state regarding the unique fire hazards of solar and wind on-site electric generation systems.
The Iowa Firefighters Association has more than 15,500 members, the vast majority of them being volunteers. Based on statistics from Iowa’s fire reporting system, an Iowa fire department is called upon about every three minutes.
“These brave men and women deserve the best and most up-to-date training available,” said Midland Power president Jack Runge. “Iowa has a long, rich history of providing quality fire training to its firefighters and Iowa’s co-ops can be proud of the role they are playing in providing cutting-edge training related to distributed generation and electrical emergency response.”
As a cooperative, Midland Power is committed to education, training and information, as well as concern for community.
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Midland Power Cooperative is a member-owned, not-for-profit, electric cooperative that provides electricity to homes and businesses in portions of the 17 following counties in Iowa: Boone, Calhoun, Dallas, Franklin, Greene, Grundy, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hardin, Humboldt, Kossuth, Marshall, Pocahontas, Polk, Story, Webster, and Wright. Midland Power serves these areas from its headquarters in Jefferson, as well as locations in Humboldt, Boone and Iowa Falls.
