In early February, California was hit by a major storm event that resulted in hundreds of thousands of residents and businesses losing power. IBEW crews responded immediately to remove downed trees and replace damaged poles and lines in order to restore power as quickly as possible.
On Feb. 8, an IBEW crew from Veteran Power Infrastructure (VPI) was transporting a utility pole to a work location in Napa, California as part of the power restoration effort. While en route, the crew came across a group of residential tree trimmers close to the road. They noticed that one of the men was on the ground, suffering from a head injury, and they pulled off to help.
Upon arrival, the VPI crew was told that a tree fell the wrong direction, striking the man in the head.
They knew he needed immediate medical assistance, but when they attempted to call for help, they were unable to get a cell phone signal due to the remote location. At that point, Crew Foreman Jeston Clopein dropped a pin at the location and drove towards an area with better service. When he found cell coverage, Clopein, a travelling Journeyman Lineman from IBEW LU 70, contacted 9-1-1, and Cal Fire arranged a life flight helicopter to the location.
While Clopein was driving to find a cell signal, IBEW 1245 Journeyman Lineman Honorato Chavez, and his fellow crew member Ricky Sanchez, a travelling Groundman from IBEW LU 57, used their CPR and first aid training to tend to the injured man. Upon checking his vitals, they found that he was unresponsive and not breathing at that time. Chavez rolled the man on his side, to help open the airway and keep him from choking on blood. Once he was on his side, the injured man began to breathe again. Shortly after, the Cal Fire life flight helicopter arrived and transported the man to a medical facility.
While the current condition of the injured man is not known, the heroic actions of these IBEW members provided him with the best possible outcome.
–Ethan Stonecipher, IBEW 1245 Business Rep
The VPI crew, from left: Crew Foreman Justin Clopein, Groundman Ricky Sanchez, and Journeyman Lineman Honorato Chavez