Suffolk firefighters train for electrical emergencies

SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Suffolk first responders recently had training to improve their response to emergencies involving electricity.

Suffolk Fire & Rescue and Community Electric Cooperative underwent joint training during the last week in May, the City of Suffolk wrote in a news release.

The first-of-its-kind training for CEC, the CEC subsidiary RECORE, and the City of Suffolk is now planned to be offered annually from now on.

Demonstrations during the training included policies and procedures for utility disconnects. Over three days, 120 firefighters participated in training and used 49 different apparatus to “further integrate” the skills they learned.

“The training was intensive and interactive, showcasing the true dangers that electric lines present if approached inappropriately. Representatives from CEC and RECORE were on hand for questions and live demonstrations with the goal of the training being to enhance the firefighters’ skill sets and awareness when responding to future crisis situations,” Suffolk said in the news release.

“We always appreciate opportunities to work with our community partners to ensure Suffolk Fire & Rescue personnel have quality training to respond to incidents in our City. Our mission is to protect the citizens and businesses in Suffolk, and this type of training goes a long way to accomplishing that objective,” said Suffolk Fire & Rescue Chief Michael Barakey.

“CEC and RECORE are involved in new and emerging technologies, and those create safety challenges. As new technologies are implemented more and more in residential and commercial applications, it is imperative that our first responders know how to deal with these things on the horizon,” said Steve Harmon, president of CEC. “We look forward to continuing to work together with the City of Suffolk for the mutual benefit of the first responders and for our linemen.”