Are You Still Huffing and Puffing Over Hurricane Plans?
Hurricane season is in full swing, which means that if you are along the Gulf Coast, there is predictable chance that your power grid will come under pressure in the months ahead. Until the danger passes with the changing of the calendar, it is crucial to check and re-check your plans and emergency power-generation systems to make sure you are ready if the power grid goes down.
Generator Safety Is Essential
Are your teams up-to-date with the tasks they need to perform if the power goes down? Do they know how to operate and monitor your standby generator’s operations safely? There is no time like the present to brush up on their skills and refresh their knowledge. If you haven’t already, prepare primers and schedule abbreviated refresher training sessions to ensure everyone is up to speed. If there have been any changes to your power generation equipment or operating protocols, be sure to highlight these so that everyone knows what to do, and who is supposed to do it.
Inspect & Maintain Your Systems
Regular maintenance is essential for generator safety, and you should confirm that your maintenance regimen is aligned with the needs of your power generation system. As your standby generator ages, you are likely to find that you need to pay more attention to individual components and functions. If that’s the case, make sure that this is factored into your inspection and tailor your maintenance routine accordingly.
Drill, Drill, and Drill
So, you have polished your hurricane plans, trained your employees, inspected your standby power generation system, and performed the generator maintenance required. But, that doesn’t mean you are entirely prepared for the next storm to blow through.
In fact, you are likely to get blown over if you don’t drill your employees and prepare them for the problems that hurricanes can create.
Make sure to prepare your personnel for the following scenarios:
- Grid failure without structural damage to the building or facilities
- Grid failure with both minor/significant damage to the building or facilities
- Grid failure combined with standby generator failure
- Damage to fuel storage facilities
- Damage to infrastructure (roads, bridges, etc.) leading to building or facilities
- Diminished or complete loss of fuel replenishment deliveries
Live, hands-on drills are the best way to prepare your employees for these potential scenarios. To minimize disruption to your business, it is best to plan and schedule the drills in advance. This ensures that all hands are on deck to receive the critical training required to respond to an emergency power loss. And, when a hurricane swirls into the forecast, be sure to notify employees of how severe you expect it to be when it hits so that they can already be thinking about the actions they will need to take before it comes over the horizon.
Are you ready for the rest of the hurricane season? Contact Gen-Tech Power Generation Specialists at (800) 625-8324 to schedule proactive generator maintenance and standby generator repairs for your generator systems.