BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — In the state of Florida, Aug. 26 is Lineworker Appreciation Day. FPL's Boynton Beach Service Center showed WPTV NewsChannel 5 some of the tips and tricks on how they restore power after a storm.
"We have the best line workers in our industry and we're so proud and thankful for the work that they do day in and day out to deliver reliable and safe electricity to our customers are very appreciative," said FPL spokesperson Conlon Kennedy.
When the power is out the lineworkers are appreciative of the community, especially when they are working 18-hour days restoring power after a powerful storm.
"One time someone in the community fixed a plate of dinner for me. It was much needed and appreciated," said Julius Sirmons who has been a lineworker for 37 years for FPL.
Who Gets Power First After A Storm
"We have a proven process for restoring power back to our customers. And it's all around restoring power to the largest amount of customers in the shortest amount of time. So we start with our power plants and our substations like the one behind us today, and the electricity and the power line carrying electricity from those substations and power plants and then we prioritize critical care facilities such as 911 Call Centers, fire departments, police departments, and also gas stations and grocery stores, things that really get the community back up and running," Kennedy said.
FPL said they do not restore power to more affluent areas first.
"That is not the case. Our goal and our structure is all based around the largest amount of customers and where the outages are. And then pinpointing it as we get shorter and to the to the customers in those smaller areas where their power is out," Kennedy said.
FPL Lineworker Appreciation Day
"Most joy of our job is restoring power to our customers during outages, storms, hurricanes, situations like that. The smiles on people’s face, handclaps and cheers bring joy to me as well," said Sirmons.