MAYDAY: SSVEC partnered with local fire district for safety training in Sunsites

For residents, workers and first responders in rural Cochise County, a power emergency can involve more than restoring electricity. Long distances between communities can delay specialized help, especially when an incident involves a collapsed trench or a worker trapped underground. Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative used its annual May Day exercise in Sunsites to practice that kind of emergency, bringing utility employees together with local fire crews to test communication, response times and decision making before a real incident occurs.

The drill recreated a trench rescue on a leveled parcel of ground where a trench had been dug for the exercise. The scenario focused on a worker who had become trapped, requiring crews to consider how to secure the area, communicate with emergency personnel and determine what could safely be done before specialized rescuers arrived. The exercise was not only about the physical rescue. It also examined how SSVEC employees and first responders would coordinate under pressure and where their procedures might need improvement.

Matthew Riesgo, SSVEC’s safety manager, said the training also reflects a practical reality of underground utility work. The cooperative maintains underground infrastructure across its service territory, and repairs involving those systems can take substantial time. The May Day drill was intended to help employees understand that an emergency response and subsequent repair may not be immediate, particularly in remote areas. For customers, that can mean longer waits during an outage or other disruption while crews locate the problem, make the scene safe and complete the work.

Distance is a central concern in SSVEC’s territory, which includes rural portions of Cochise County. Sunsites-Pearce Fire Chief Levi Garner said he is among only about five first responders in the county with trench rescue certification. That limited number makes preparation especially important. A utility crew that encounters a trench emergency may have to wait for the appropriate personnel and equipment, rather than receiving an immediate response from a nearby team trained for that specific type of rescue.

Garner said the exercise emphasized that utility workers have important responsibilities before firefighters arrive, but those responsibilities do not necessarily involve entering the trench. Employees can help by recognizing the danger, contacting 911 and following steps that do not put additional people at risk. He said people naturally want to help someone in trouble, but an unplanned attempt to enter a trench can turn one victim into multiple victims. Slowing down, evaluating the conditions and waiting for trained rescuers can produce a safer outcome.

Sierra Vista Fire Captain Shawn Mott underscored how widely response times can vary in the cooperative’s coverage area. In some situations, emergency crews may wait for a helicopter that is at least half an hour away. A trench excavation requiring the right personnel and equipment could take an hour or even six hours, depending on the circumstances. Those possibilities make it essential for utility staff to understand what they should and should not do while help is on the way, and for emergency agencies to rehearse how they will manage a difficult and remote rescue.

The drill also gave SSVEC an opportunity to evaluate its own internal systems. CEO Jason Bowling described the exercise as a way to uncover problems in the process rather than as a demonstration that everything already works perfectly. Each simulated emergency can reveal communication gaps, unclear responsibilities or other issues that need to be addressed. Identifying those weaknesses in a controlled training setting gives the cooperative and its partner agencies a chance to adjust before an actual worker injury or infrastructure emergency tests the system.

The Sunsites-Pearce Fire District has been able to build its trench rescue capabilities through grant support. That funding paid for personnel to receive specialized training and helped purchase trench rescue equipment. The investment has made the district one of the few agencies in Cochise County prepared to assist with trench rescue incidents and exercises. The equipment and training benefit the district’s own crews while also expanding the pool of specialized help available to utility workers and others facing a trench emergency.

For people who live and work across Southern Arizona, the exercise highlights a less visible part of keeping the electric system operating safely. Power lines and underground utilities cross areas where communities and emergency agencies may be separated by considerable distances. A May Day drill cannot eliminate those distances, but it can clarify how crews should communicate, how employees can protect themselves and when professional rescuers are needed. SSVEC’s partnership with the fire district shows that preparation includes not only repairing equipment, but also practicing the decisions that can protect workers and first responders when every minute matters.