What was your favorite class field trip? The one that remains in your memory to this day? Was it a day at the zoo? A visit to a museum? What about an afternoon spent at your … electric company? You may not have experienced the latter, but a group of Morgan County middle and high school students recently did.
On September 11, students visited Morgan County REA headquarters in Fort Morgan as part of their career exploration field trip. The group had a first-hand look at how we at MCREA serve nearly 5,000 members and maintain our system. They also learned the importance of power line safety.
The tour started with MCREA’s hotline safety demonstration, a full-voltage power line display presented by MCREA linemen. The demo showed students the dangers of electricity and highlighted the proper steps to take in situations involving downed power lines. Linemen also discussed the personal protective equipment they wear and procedures they follow to remain safe on the job every day.
This bright group of students was full of great questions: How do MCREA crews fix outages? What does it take to be a lineworker? What equipment do crews use?
They even watched MCREA lineman Nolan Kauffmann climb a power pole. “I loved watching the climbing demo,” one student said. “It was really interesting.”
Afterward, the group toured MCREA’s yard where the co-op keeps a stock of poles, conductors, transformers, and more. Here the group discussed the science of electricity and how each piece of material plays a crucial role in getting power to their homes.
“Thank you for teaching me about electricity,” a student shared. “My dad used to be a lineman — now I know what he did.”
Of course, MCREA’s service to its members does not stop along our lines. The students also visited the co-op’s mechanic shop, warehouse, and main office, where they met more of the team dedicated to helping our membership. This gave insight into the many different types of careers that make up an electric cooperative, like finance, communications, engineering, and human resources.
“We all — adults included — learned a lot,” one parent stated. “Thank you!”
It was a true joy for MCREA’s team to share what our co-op does with such polite and thoughtful students. Hosting our first Co-op Field Trip was a success and we hope it is one that students will remember for many years to come.
