4-County Electric Power Association joined the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association in recognizing Monday, April 11, as National Lineman Appreciation Day.
Headquartered in Columbus, 4-County has 49 employees who work in the field restoring power during outages and maintaining distribution lines and equipment. Across the nation, more than 19,000 men and women maintain 2.5 million miles of line for electric co-ops, public power districts, and public utility districts.
The full text of a resolution, which the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Board adopted unanimously, is as follows:
“Whereas lineman leave their families and put their lives on the line every day to keep the power on; Whereas lineman work 365 days a year under dangerous conditions to build, maintain and repair the electric infrastructure; Whereas lineman are the first responders of the electric cooperative family, getting power back on and making things safe for all after storms and accidents; and Whereas there would be no electric cooperatives without the brave men and women who comprise our corps of linemen;
Therefore be if resolved that NRECA recognize the second Monday of April of each year as National Lineman Appreciation Day and make available to electric cooperatives, materials and support to recognize the contributions of these valuable men and women to America’s electric cooperatives.”
4-County officials said they were thankful for the services that electric lineman perform around the clock in dangerous conditions to keep power flowing and protect the public’s safety.
“Electric lineman don’t often receive the recognition they deserve,” 4-County CEO/General Manager Joe Cade said. “They work all hours of the day, often in hazardous conditions far from their families, going above and beyond to restore power to their communities. Our lineman, as well as lineman from across the nation, truly deserve this special day of recognition.”
To honor the 49 linemen, 4-County served steak with all the trimmings for lunch Monday at the cooperative’s Corporate Center.
“We celebrate our linemen on a daily basis. And it’s great that lineworkers were recognized like this on a national level,” Cade said. “It’s a great acknowledgment.”
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