Mark your calendars for the IAMU Overhead Electric Transmission and Distribution Workshop.  This year’s workshop will take place May 19 - 21, 2021 at the IAMU Training and Office Complex.  *This will be an IN-PERSON training.*
 
Workshop Scenario – Storm Restoration
The training and activities during this year’s workshop will simulate a storm restoration scenario.  Participants will work as a crew to rebuild lines that have been taken down by a storm.  To assure the best possible learning environment in the technical sessions, workshop participants will be divided into small crews. Each crew will work together to complete the restoration task at hand.
 
Apprenticeship Testing & Skill Evaluations
Apprentices will have the opportunity to do hands-on skill evaluations during the following timeframes:
 

• Wednesday, May 19 (Morning)
• Friday, May 21 (Afternoon)

 
These are the only available times for evaluations and limited to the first 8 apprentices.  Pre-registration is required for testing and evaluations.
 
Registration
Registration is now open.  The registration deadline for this workshop is Friday, May 14.  Registration is LIMITED at 40 registrants.
 
Cost:
IAMU Members - $420
Non-IAMU Members - $480
(Please make sure you are signed-in to get member pricing)

Hotel Accommodations:
An IAMU workshop room block has been set at:
 
Holiday Inn Des Moines – Northwest
4800 Merle Hay Road
Urbandale, IA  50322
(515) 278-4755
 
When reserving, please ask for the IAMU block.
Group Name:  IAMU May Workshop
Group Code:  MAY
Hotel Code:  DSMDU
Click to:  www.holidayinn.com/desmoinesia  and use the 3-letter group code above.
 
The room rate is $79 plus tax per night.  Reservation block and rate deadline is May 4, 2021.

For additional information regarding the workshop, including registration, agenda, and schedule, please refer to the brochure HERE.
 
Questions?  Contact Jared at jmasker@iamu.org or (800) 810-4268.

Registration is now open for the 2021 IAMU Golfin’ Fore Scholars Event. Join IAMU at Pleasant Valley in Iowa City for a fun-filled day on one of Iowa’s great golf courses. All proceeds will go towards the IAMU Scholarship Program.
 
Purchase a raffle ticket at the event for your chance at walking away $1,000 richer! Thank you to Jester Insurance for their donation of the gift card.


Click here for more information.

When communicating with any audience, including your customers or employees, make sure to avoid grammar mistakes. Yes, they can happen to anyone, even to writers and editors with decades of experience, but take time to proofread your copy for common issues. You might also consider having someone else do a fresh-eye review of your communications before you distribute them to your intended audience.
 
Here are few common mistakes:
 

• They’re versus their versus there – One is a contraction for “they are” (they’re). One refers to something owned by a group (their). One refers to a place (there). 
• Your versus you’re – One is possessive (your). One is a contraction (for you are). If you read “your,” replace it with “you are.” If it makes sense as “you are,” you need you’re. This mistake is commonly seen with you’re welcome.
• It’s versus its – One is a contract for it is (it’s). One is possessive (its). If you have written “it’s,” read it as “it is.” If it doesn’t make sense, you need “its.”
• Referring to an organization as “they” – An organization is singular, so it takes “it,” not “they” as a pronoun. Even if your utility goes by the plural form of “utilities” in its name, use the singular pronoun “it” when referring to the organization as a whole.
• To versus too – “To” is usually used before a noun or verb, and describes a destination, recipient, or action. “Too,” on the other hand, is a word that’s used as an alternative to “also” or “as well.”
• Peek versus peak versus pique – Peek is taking a quick look at something – like a sneak peek of a new film. Peak is a sharp point – like the peak of a mountain. Pique means to provoke or instigate – like your interest.
• Who versus that – When describing a person, use “who.” When describing an object, use “that.”
• Fewer versus less – Use “fewer” for things that you can count, such as “fewer doughnuts” or “fewer miles.” Use “less” for things that you can’t quantify, like “less sugar” and “less traveling.”
• Farther vs. Further – “Farther” is used to refer to physical distances, while “further” is used to refer to figurative and nonphysical distances.
  

Iowa has long been the cradle of development for ground source heat pumps. Today thousands of these systems are quietly heating and cooling homes and buildings across the state, all while harvesting renewable energy and operating at efficiencies 2, 3, even 4 times higher than any alternative. Electrical utilities in Iowa enjoy higher load factors and many megawatts of peak load reduction from these heat pumps saving Iowans millions of dollars every year. Let's look at the data and see what we can do to make Iowa even stronger and more resilient.
 
Register Here!

Although incidents of workplace violence have been reported at nearly every type and size of business, some employees are at greater risk.

Click here to read the EMC Loss Control Insights article.

The America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) required systems serving at least 3,300 people to conduct a risk and resiliency assessment, and then incorporate those findings into an updated Emergency Response Plan.  EPA Region 7 held a series of three workshops in February 2021. The recordings of those three workshops can be found at these links (enter your name, email, and then the recording will show):

• Module 1 
• Module 2 
• Module 3 

Other recordings are also posted to the EPA AWIA RR&ER website under the heading “Fall 2020 AWIA Workshop Series Video.”

In addition, EPA is also hosting another full 3-part AWIA workshop and an AWIA webinar. You must register separately for each module.

• Module 1 “AWIA Section 2013 Requirements, Certification, and Section 2018 Basics,” 4/26/2021, 12:30 – 2:00 pm CDT  Registration 
• Module 2 “Malevolent Acts, Natural Hazards, and the Small Systems Checklist,” 4/27/2021, 12:30 – 2:00 pm CDT  Registration 
• Module 3 “AWIA Emergency Response Template and Guidance,” 4/28/2021, 12:30 – 2:00 pm CDT  Registration 

In May, EPA will host another AWIA webinar to answer attendee questions and review key topics. This will be especially helpful for systems that have started to complete their RRA or ERP and have specific questions or topics they would like to revisit.

Risk and Resiliency Assessment Certification Deadlines (by system size):

• At least 100,000 people served: March 31, 2020
• 50,000 to 99,999 people served: December 31, 2020
• At least 3,300 to 49,999 people served: June 30, 2021
  

Emergency Response Plan Certification Deadlines (by system size):

• At least 100,000 people served: September 30, 2020
• 50,000 to 99,999 people served: June 30, 2021
• At least 3,300 to 49,999 people served: December 31, 2021

Reminder: Both certifications are required every five years. EPA is implementing this requirement; the certifications are submitted directly to EPA and not to Iowa DNR.  Note that the actual assessment and ER plan are not submitted to EPA; only the certifications are submitted.

Mark your calendars for the IAMU Overhead Electric Transmission and Distribution Workshop.  This year’s workshop will take place May 19 - 21, 2021 at the IAMU Training and Office Complex.  *This will be an IN-PERSON training.*
 
Workshop Scenario – Storm Restoration
The training and activities during this year’s workshop will simulate a storm restoration scenario.  Participants will work as a crew to rebuild lines that have been taken down by a storm.  To assure the best possible learning environment in the technical sessions, workshop participants will be divided into small crews. Each crew will work together to complete the restoration task at hand.
 
Apprenticeship Testing & Skill Evaluations
Apprentices will have the opportunity to do hands-on skill evaluations during the following timeframes:

• Wednesday, May 19 (Morning)
• Friday, May 21 (Afternoon)

 
These are the only available times for evaluations and limited to the first 8 apprentices.  Pre-registration is required for testing and evaluations.
 
Registration
Registration is now open.  The registration deadline for this workshop is Friday, May 14.  Registration is LIMITED at 40 registrants.
 
Cost:
IAMU Members - $420
Non-IAMU Members - $480
(Please make sure you are signed-in to get member pricing)

Hotel Accommodations:
An IAMU workshop room block has been set at:
 
Holiday Inn Des Moines – Northwest
4800 Merle Hay Road
Urbandale, IA  50322
(515) 278-4755
 
When reserving, please ask for the IAMU block.
Group Name:  IAMU May Workshop
Group Code:  MAY
Hotel Code:  DSMDU
Click to:  www.holidayinn.com/desmoinesia  and use the 3-letter group code above.
 
The room rate is $79 plus tax per night.  Reservation block and rate deadline is May 4, 2021.

For additional information regarding the workshop, including registration, agenda, and schedule, please refer to the brochure HERE.
 
Questions?  Contact Jared at jmasker@iamu.org or (800) 810-4268.

Registration is now open for the 2021 IAMU Golfin’ Fore Scholars Event. Join IAMU at Pleasant Valley in Iowa City for a fun-filled day on one of Iowa’s great golf courses. All proceeds will go towards the IAMU Scholarship Program.
 
Purchase a raffle ticket at the event for your chance at walking away $1,000 richer! Thank you to Jester Insurance for their donation of the gift card.

Click here for more information.

These days, many utilities and cities have their own Facebook pages. And why not: It’s an easy, free way to reach many members of your community quickly. What’s more, many of your followers may share what you post to your page and help you to spread whatever message you’re trying to get out.
 
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when using Facebook for your utility or city:

• Keep posts simple. Keep your color scheme clean and consistent. Include recognizable images. Use minimal, concise and impactful text – think the amount of text that you might find on a roadside billboard.
• Keep videos short. Video content is incredibly popular among online consumers. About 75 million people in the United States watch online videos every day. If you’re going to post a video, go for 65 second to five minutes. Any longer, and most people won’t watch the whole thing, if at all.
• Interact with your followers. Social media after all is SOCIAL. That means you should have conversations with your followers. Ask them questions in your posts and then respond to their comments with a “like,” “love,” “haha,” or a reply. You might find that you can get valuable feedback from your customers by interacting with them on Facebook.
• Post in the afternoons and evenings. Many people tend to check Facebook over lunch or the end of the day, which makes afternoons and early evenings between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. prime for posting. Don’t post at the exact same time every day. It seems robotic and more likely than not, others are doing the same.
  

Developing a safety inspection checklist can help you keep in compliance with OSHA regulations.

Click here to read the EMC Loss Control Insights article.