Jefferson Energy Employees Receive Life Saving Awards for Quick Action

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 22, 2006

Wrens, Ga. - Two Jefferson Energy Cooperative employees whose quick actions may have saved the life of a coworker were honored with the Georgia Electric Membership Corporation (GEMC) Life Saving Award on Nov. 13.

Last March, James Carr and Grayland Poole were in the mechanics’ shop at Jefferson Energy with fellow employee, Joey Owens, when Owens apparently inhaled some of the coffee he was drinking. Owens turned away from the group, coughed, tried to inhale, and then fell down, unconscious.

Carr, a meter reader who had come to the shop to pick up his truck, immediately dialed 911 for help as Poole, the fleet supervisor, assisted Owens in rolling on his side to expel the coffee. Within a minute, Owens regained consciousness.

“I basically didn’t do anything but kneel down and assist,” said Poole. “James knew right away to call 911 and, thanks to a lot of safety training we get here, we all know what to do in case of emergencies like this.”

Poole credits Jefferson Energy Cooperative with demonstrating a concern for the safety of employees by providing frequent safety training and keeping life-saving equipment on-hand.
“I’m glad the co-op takes time to train us in safety,” he said. “We get routine updates on CPR and safety training—enough to stay in tune with what you need to do in case of emergency. Another thing I admire about our co-op is that we have emergency heart defibrillators throughout the building and one for each line crew.”

Carr and Poole were two of 12 EMC personnel throughout the state awarded this year for acts of heroism.

“The Life Saving Award was established to recognize EMC employees whose courage and skills were instrumental in rescuing someone from grave and immediate danger,” said Jim Wright, Georgia EMC’s vice president of training, education and safety.

“We train our employees in life-saving techniques, not only for their job but for the community at large, so they can be equipped to help at any time, in any situation that might call for emergency response,” said Steve Talbott with Jefferson Energy Cooperative. “It’s another way we show our commitment to community, which is what co-ops are all about.”

The Life Saving Awards were presented in Savannah during the annual meeting of Georgia EMC, the statewide trade association representing the state’s 42 EMCs, Georgia Transmission Corp. and Oglethorpe Power Corp.

Jefferson Energy Cooperative is a consumer-owned cooperative providing electricity and related services to over 30,000 members in Burke, Columbia, Emanuel, Glascock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, McDuffie, Richmond, Warren and Washington counties.

Collectively, the 42 customer-owned EMCs provide electricity and related services to four million people, nearly half of Georgia’s population, across 73 percent of the state’s land area. Georgia’s electric co-ops now serve more customers than any other state network of EMCs in the nation