Merit Awards

We usually think of the holiday season as a gift-giving time of year, but anytime is the right time to give the gift of saving another person's life. Here are two stories of Asplundh employees whose quick actions clearly prevented serious, and possibly fatal, injuries. Asplundh has bestowed Silver Merit Awards to these employees for their heroic deeds.

After presenting the Silver Merit Awards, Forestry and Vegetation Superintendent Duane Northrup of Clark County Public Utilities (above, left) congratulates Trimmer Paea Ngauamo while Foreman Dennis Erspamer (second from right) receives a congratulatory handshake from Asplundh Supervisor Gary Johnston.

The first incident occurred during the morning rush hours on June 25 when Foreman Dennis Erspamer and Trimmer Paea Ngauamo of the Mick Kavran Region witnessed a serious highway accident near Vancouver, Washington. An elderly woman's car, traveling in the opposite lane, had spun out of control and hit the center concrete median barriers after another driver had cut her off. Dennis and Paea immediately pulled over to help.

The woman, disoriented and afraid of the smoke coming out of her car, got out and began to wander into the traffic lanes. Seeing this turn of events, Dennis found a break in the traffic, jumped the barrier and subdued the lady, leading her to a safe spot off the highway. Meanwhile, Paea took charge of flagging traffic around the accident scene.

"All I could think about was how much I didn't want to have a picture in my mind of this lady getting hit," said Dennis afterwards. He sat and comforted her until the state police arrived. Fortunately, the woman's injuries were minor, thanks to her seat belt use and a deployed air bag.

In a letter to Asplundh about the event, Forestry and Vegetation Superintendent Duane Northrup of Clark County Public Utilities commented, "As you know, this level of service has become the norm with our Asplundh crews in Clark County and I am proud of their commitment, professionalism and our association. Sincere thanks to Dennis and Paea."

Gathering for a photo to honor their Silver Merit Award winners were (L to R): AEP System Forestry Manager Gary O'Neil, Supervisor and Silver Award Winner Mark Contat, Vice President Dave Sachs, Sponsor/Vice President Gregg Asplundh, AEP Columbus Region Forestry Supervisor Gary Blackburn and General Foreman Jon Powell, Silver Merit Award Winner.

The second incident was reported by Columbus Region AEP Forestry Supervisor Gary Blackburn who wrote a commendation letter for Supervisor Mark Contat and General Foreman Jon Powell of the Dave Sachs Region in Ohio.

The situation took place on July 25 near Grove City. Mark and Jon were patrolling a circuit when they came upon a blocked road. Two tree workers from a private company were attempting to remove a large oak, but the tree was about to fall into one of AEP's three-phase primary lines. One of the trimmers was on an aluminum ladder trying to tie a cable to pull the tree in the opposite direction. Recognizing the immediate danger, Jon yelled for the man to get off the ladder and onto the ground. Within seconds, the tree fell into the lines and roadway. Mark and Jon quickly secured the area, notified AEP, and assisted in the restoration.

Although it took about five hours to repair the damage, everyone would agree that an outage is not worth someone's life. Congratulations to all of our Silver Merit Award Winners for quickly and effectively responding to very dangerous situations!

 

Retirees Honored

Congratulations and best wishes for a happy and healthy retirement to all these Asplundh retirees!

 

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