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From the Desk of Executive Director Richard Putnicki
Most of us approached this new year with a positive perspective and optimism of what this year might bring. Afterall, how can we not go “up” after all we experienced last year? I am proud to say with a month in the books, we have seen some positive trends take place. We are seeing a series of vaccines roll out, which we hope will bring us back together soon. On our membership side, renewals are exceeding expectations, greater than we forecasted. With that, I would like to welcome S&C Electric Company and SeeKing HR to the RMEL family. S&C has been a long standing figure in the industry helping utilities with reliable grid solutions. SeeKing provides its clients expertise through a broad range of HR consulting solutions. We look forward to their participation.
The RMEL Champions participation has been steady, which makes us believe that some services and supplier companies are waiting to jump in when the opportunity to meet together returns. In the meantime, RMEL will commit to continue to find opportunities to keep our Champions and vendor members in front of our utilities. The deadline to become a 2021 RMEL Champion is March 5th - click here for more details!
Participation in our webinars has continued to increase this year, as our Education Committees integrate more of the technical content into our programing. I encourage all of you to share any training needs/topics with us so we can get them into the hands of the appropriate committee.
2021 Spring Conference & Educational Programing
Preparations continue for a Virtual Spring Conference. I will be sending you a short Spring Conference Survey that we will ask you to complete. We understand “content is King”! Your feedback allows our planning team to provide timely and relevant educational programing. We will have more details about the Planning Session for the Spring Conference content soon!
Mark your calendars and get registered for these upcoming events:
Webinar: Knowing and Understanding Why Dogs Bite
Tuesday, February 23, 2021, 10-11:30 a.m. MST
As a utility, many of our personnel are required to perform field work to serve our customers. On occasion, the environment can pose a hazardous situation if not prepared. Maybe it is a late night, and we find ourselves in situations when we are face-to-face with the "family pet". It is not just the postman that needs to be wary of dogs. What is the safety plan you have in place for pre-attack avoidance techniques? This webinar will offer practical and preventive measures to help prevent dog bites while in the field.
Webinar: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Asset Management
Thursday, February 25, 2021, 10-11 a.m. MST
This webinar will take a look at how Western Area Power Administration’s GIS program has been supporting the Asset Management’s mission in the management of data, maps, and other AM applications. WAPA’s GIS program provides support and products to almost all departments within the agency which include, but are not limited to, Natural Resources, Engineering, Public Relations, Maintenance, and Safety and Security.
March 3, 10-11:15 a.m. Mountain Standard Time
Part 1: Lithium Ion ESS 101 – Unintended Consequences – Process failures, will review large scale fire test and real world case studies to understand how ESS systems fail and the consequences of those failures. Understanding Thermal Runaway, Propagation and gas production. Look at reasonable anticipated events from fire to explosion. Review of what to expect from UL 9540A fire testing. A look at the McMicken event and consequences.
March 10, 10-11:15 a.m. Mountain Standard Time
Part 2: Lithium Ion ESS 201 – Mitigation Methods and Options for Safety systems, will take the lessons learned and testing information from the unintended consequences to apply practical solutions to mitigate the failure modes of ESS. What we can do to protect lives and safety for operators and first responders. A silver bullet does not exist but using a phase approach we can limit the path ways to further failure.
March 17th, 10-11:15 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time
Part 3: Lithium Ion ESS 301 – Code requirements - Then, Now and in the Future, will discuss early codes and what is currently expected from NFPA 855 and the IFC. Take a look at upcoming changes to NFPA 855 and the recommendation from the McMicken reports. Provide recommendations on what the client should expect from the Battery manufacture, integrator, fire system and appropriate engineering studies.
2021 RMEL Emerging Leader Program
Nominate a next-generation leader for a 2021 RMEL Emerging Leader Award by March 19th. The nominee must have a minimum of 5 years of experience, and no more than 10 years’ experience within the industry. Recipients are provided development opportunities through a variety of interactions with past and current Emerging Leader Award recipients, the RMEL Board and exclusive workforce strategy sessions with Spring Keynote Speakers, all to hone their leadership skills and experiences.
Promote the 2021 RMEL Foundation Scholarship Opportunity by Sharing the Application With Industry and Academic Contacts
Please help spread the word about RMEL Foundation Scholarship opportunities! The 2021 RMEL Foundation Scholarship Deadline is February 26, 2021. RMEL member companies are the primary avenue by which these scholarships are promoted. The Foundation encourages all RMEL members to share this opportunity throughout your company and your community.
Students from all parts of the RMEL service territory are encouraged to apply. Recipients are chosen by the RMEL Foundation selection committee. Access the Application on the RMEL Foundation Scholarship Page and Send us Your University and College Contacts. We appreciate you helping to build the future of the industry!
The future is bright, my friends! I look forward to seeing y’all (virtually for now) soon. Stay SAFE!
