Mississippi Power employees complete ERT safety training

Mississippi Power's Emergency Response Team (ERT) members from generation plants across the service territory recently completed the year’s second refresher course for confined space rescue and medical response training during a three-day instructional event at Plant Ratcliffe.

ERTs are required to have 80 hours of initial confined space rescue training with 40 hours of annual refreshers. Additionally, 56 hours are required for initial medical response training with 20 hours of annual refreshers. By dividing the trainings into spring and fall sessions, employees become exposed to the training twice a year, further supporting retention.

“Our ERT trainings exhibit the very essence of what it means to be proactive,” said Plant Watson Senior Safety and Health Specialist Michael Mosley. “If an injury occurs, it is vital for our employees to understand proper response protocols in rescue, resuscitation and first aid. The results from these trainings have the potential to be lifesaving, and we take pride in ensuring our ERTs are prepared at all times.”

ERT training groups were comprised of eight employees from Plant Ratcliffe, two from Plant Watson and four from Alabama Power Company’s Plant Greene County. The trainers were from Plant Daniel and Plant Watson.

The refresher course involved hours of classroom education followed by implementation of procedures within the classroom and inside the plant using outdoor emergency scenarios.

During the confined space rescue portion of the training, ERTs discussed the rope systems and how they are designed, along with proper rigging of the rope systems while determining which uses work best for each patient’s particular needs.

Rescue techniques were also performed from high platforms inside the units including underground locations through a manway and other confined spaces with various access points.

As the trainers and safety specialists carefully observed and provided feedback, the teams simulated live-action emergency injury situations while responding safely and efficiently by applying methods learned during the training.

For the medical response portion, splinting for broken bones and blood control techniques were covered along with how employees can protect themselves during such events.

A heavy emphasis was placed on CPR and AED training due to the critical nature of those emergencies. The same emphasis was applied to the medical training overall because those areas make up a majority of received emergency calls.

Patient contact and packaging was practiced in classroom and outdoor emergency situations. With proper patient contact, responders can better care for the patient and help alleviate any added stress. Once a patient realizes responders can help, stress levels reduce.

Teams also reviewed how to use the new Defibtech Lifeline ARM, an automated device which provides high-quality continuous CPR. Since the average EMS response time to each unit is approximately 45 minutes, this device helps provide care to patients during that time.

“I am thankful our company recognizes the need for these skills and invests the necessary resources to make sure we have them,” said Plant Ratcliffe Senior Safety and Health Specialist Jason Clark. “Having these resources, especially for those of us in remote locations, proves the company is always looking out for the best interest of our employees, as well as anyone else on site that could use our help.”

Now in its 98th year of operations, Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), produces safe, reliable and affordable energy for more than 191,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. Mississippi Power was honored with a Community Partner Impact Award from the Center for Energy Workforce Development for its innovative and ongoing efforts to build a diverse workforce. The Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve recently recognized Mississippi Power for its commitment to its military workforce. Mississippi Power has nearly 160MW of solar capacity at four locations across the company’s service territory, including Southern Company’s first project to combine the latest, cutting-edge solar technology with battery storage. Visit our websites at mississippipower.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

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