October 24, 2022
On Friday, October 21, 2022, a tree contractor employee had been working at an elevated position in a bucket truck behind an apartment building when his truck became disabled leaving him stranded 45 feet in the air.
The Charlotte and Pineville Fire departments responded to the distress call and attempted to rescue the stranded man with their ladder trucks but were unable toreach him. Firemen on the scene called Duke Energy and requested their assistance with a bucket truck and were told that it would be 1 ½ to 2 hours for a truck to arrive.
At 2:45 pm, Pineville Fire Chief, Mike Gerin, called Electricities of NC, Inc. in Pineville requesting the assistance of their employees to bring a bucket truck to reach the victim. Electricities is the managing agent for the Town of Pineville’s electric system. Crew Leader, Brandon Guin and Apprentice Lineworker II, David Carlos jumped in their 60-foot, two-man bucket truck and responded to the scene.
After assessing the situation, they were able to position their truck close enough to reach and rescue the victim within 30 minutes of receiving the call.
“We were honored to be able to assist in the rescue of this person who was stranded at an elevated position. The ability to respond quickly reinforces the value of Public Power in Pineville and many other cities and towns across North Carolina and the United States. Having local workers ready to respond to emergencies like this are an added value to the communities we serve,” stated Electric Systems Manager, David Lucore.