While many Queenslanders will take a break over the festive season, Energex will have teams working around the clock to monitor the electricity network, keep the lights on, take fault calls and respond to emergency outages.

Energex’s disaster response team has risen to some unprecedented challenges in 2019.

Network Operations Manager Emma Rogers has steered her team through catastrophic bushfires, severe storms, floods and heatwaves.

“On a daily basis and in the face of catastrophic weather conditions, our aim is to keep everyone safe around the electricity network, keep the power on and resolve any outages as soon as practically possible.

“While everyone living in a disaster-prone area should be prepared for power interruptions in severe weather events, we can assure them we’ll be there to support them,” Ms Rogers said.

Staff in the Operations Control Centre monitor the electricity network 24/7, 365 days a year to deliver a safe and reliable electricity supply.

Highly sophisticated protection and control systems continually monitor the network for faults, like a lightning strike or accidental contact from a vehicle, and isolate the affected area.

“Energex’s network protection system works much like the safety switch in your home, but on a much larger scale.

“While it helps to have remote control of the network and there are times when we can restore power quite quickly by reclosing circuit breakers, when there is damage requiring emergency repairs crews need to find faults and fix them before power can be safely restored,” Ms Rogers said.

Regional Field Manager Lawrie Zarb said Energex crews appreciated the community’s patience when they were tackling big jobs to get the power back on in the heat.

“Summer definitely keeps us on our toes because of the increased risk of network damage from severe weather events, but we are well prepared and we understand how much people rely on electricity so we’re always working to restore power as soon as we can while keeping everyone safe,” Mr Zarb said.

“And to ensure we remain ready for what nature throws our way on Christmas Day nearly 400 staff will be working in the field and on standby.”

Energex’s Customer Operations Team will also be available 24/7, taking fault calls on 13 62 62.

“We encourage customers to report specific information because it can help field crews find faults faster.

“If customers are just looking for updates on outages in their area, they might prefer to visit our website at  www.energex.com.au.

“We’re all wishing for an outage-free Christmas, but we’re always here to help,” Manager Customer Operations Cloe Kernick said.

Photo (L to R): Electrical Fitter Mechanics Alfie Tokiyawa and Adam Worth will be just two of hundreds of Energex staff keeping the lights shining on Christmas Day.