Blog Posts - IAMU Informer

Source Water Protection Week Sept. 24-30, 2023.

9/20/2023

We invite everyone to help "Protect the Source" by spreading the word about the importance of source water protection. American Water Works Association has a nice tool kit for social media posts to celebrate the week, you can find that here.

Encourage people to help protect this resource and help conserve the watersheds that are the source of our water, protect our water from pollution, practice water conservation, become involved in local water issues, and plan to protect water for future community health and economic vitality.

Shooting for Scholars - Sign Up Now!

9/20/2023

October 13 will be here before you know it and how great would it be to spend a Friday afternoon shooting sporting clays? Register now for our annual “Fun raising” – Shooting for Scholars -October 13 at the Pioneer Gun Club in Waukee.
Proceeds from the shoot benefits the IAMU Scholarship program.
IAMU offers 2 scholarship programs –a scholarship program for students pursuing a post-secondary program with a utility focus and a general scholarship program for children or grandchildren of IAMU member employees.
For more information or to register, click here.

Want to be a sponsor?? We have several options available. To sign up as a sponsor, click here!

Shrimp n Bingo Announcement

9/19/2023

Now that the dust has settled, classes are in session and summer is officially coming to a close, we wanted to take the opportunity to THANK YOU for your support of Shrimp & Bingo, the fundraiser for DMACC’s Water Environmental Technology program.

We are excited to announce that the 2023 Shrimp & Bingo event raised nearly $21,400 for Water Environmental Technology Scholarships! Shrimp-ly amazing – pun intended! This event started in 2012 with 80 people in attendance, and now has grown to over 200. We are proud to boast that, since the inception, hundreds of WET scholarships have been awarded to students.

The annual Shrimp and Bingo event is a collaboration between DMACC and several industry groups including the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities (IAMU), Iowa Association of Water Agencies (IAWA), Iowa Water Environment Association (IAWEA), Iowa Section of American Water Works Association (IA-AWWA) and the Iowa Rural Water Association (IRWA). We couldn’t continue to host this event, or provide the scholarship support that we do, without these partnerships.

And speaking of partnerships, we’d like to give one final shout out to our event sponsors! Their support is making a big difference for our students – and the industry! A BIG thank you to:

Grade 3 Sponsors

John Ringelstein
Dixon Engineering
Water Professionals International
Strand Associates
Bert Gurney and Associates

Grade 2 Sponsors

Iowa Association of Water Agencies
Iowa Pump Works
Black and Veach
Iowa Rural Water Association

Grade 1 Sponsors

Nutri-Ject
Electric Pump
Garden and Associates, Ltd.
McClure
Keith Hobson
Municipal Pipe Tool Co LLC
Steve Gearhart
Stanley Consultants
PeopleService
HDR Inc

Huge kudos also to our PRIZE DONORS with more than $4,500 worth of prizes distributed to bingo and raffle winners throughout the evening.

And that’s not all! During the event, it was announced that IWEA donated $30,000 to be used for scholarships and the Miller family, including Tom, Dick, Deb and John Miller, donated $284,943 to the DMACC Foundation for the creation of a Water Environmental Technology (WET) Program lab on the DMACC Ankeny campus. Tom Miller is the President and CEO at Des Moines-based manufacturer Electric Pump Inc., succeeding his father, Dick Miller. Construction of the new lab on DMACC’s Ankeny campus is expected to be completed by the start of 2024 fall semester classes.

As we look towards next year, please save the date and make plans to join us next year on August 24, 2024! Watch for sponsorship opportunities to be announced this fall.

Sincerely,
-Shrimp & Bingo Committee

52nd Annual Iowa Governor’s Safety & Health Conference

9/19/2023

Early Bird Registration Closes October 1st

October 24th -25th, 2023
Prairie Meadows Casino, Racetrack, & Hotel

Join us in Altoona for two days of conversation on how best to protect Iowa workers. Network with colleagues, make new contacts, and continue your growth as an OESH professional.

$275 Early bird registration before October 1, 2023
$295 Registration on or after October 1, 2023

CLICK HERE to register!

Only a Few Spots Left - Natural Gas "Boot Camp" Phase 2

9/18/2023

10/3/2023 to 10/5/2023

Workshop is limited to 15 attendees - register now to claim your spot!

Who Should Attend?
This training course is intended for individuals who have at least one or more years of experience in the natural gas industry and/or have already successfully completed Boot Camp for Dispatch and On-CalI Personnel.

This training course is intended to provide "next steps" in the operator qualification process by providing in depth classroom and hands-on training for OQ covered tasks.

All classroom and hands-on training will be conducted according to procedures found in the IAMU Operations & Maintenance Plan - Written Procedures Manual.

Additional information, brochure, and online registration can be found HERE

Last Chance to Sign Up - Fall Broadband Forum

9/18/2023

The Merrill Hotel
119 W Mississippi Dr
Muscatine, IA 52761

September 28 - 29, 2023

Join us for an exciting evening at the Almost Friday Fest with food, music, and fun! Network with other broadband members, vendors, and experts in the field. And you will NOT want to miss Friday's speaker sessions - with the MPW story, member round-tables, and more!

To see the attendee brochure, get more information, and to register, click HERE!

Questions?
Contact Curtis Dean at curtis@smartsourceconsulting.com or (515) 650-0251

2023 Safety Group Risk Management Workshop

9/12/2023

Tuesday, October 31
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
***IAMU Safety Group members and their local agents are invited to participate free of charge***

Attached below is a registration form for our fall risk management workshop to be held at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny. A video recording of the workshop will be available in November for those unable to attend.

Safety Group representatives will share information and answer your questions on various risk management topics:

Program Update
Coverage Enhancements
Disaster Preparedness/Planning
Attorney Connect
Cyber Coverage Update

Please complete registration by filling out the below form, and emailing to dforest@jesterinsurance.com
You can also return via mail: Jester Insurance, 303 Watson Powell Jr. Way, Suite 300, Des Moines, IA 50309

2023_registration_form.pdf
File Size:	156 kb
File Type:	pdf

Emporia Recalls North America Smart Plugs Due to Electric Shock Hazard

9/11/2023

Name of Product:
Emporia Smart Plugs

Hazard:
The recalled smart plugs are not adequately grounded and can pose an electric shock to the user.

Remedy:
Refund
Replace

Recall Date:
September 07, 2023

Units:
About 80,000

For more information on the Emporia smart plugs and who to contact to replace/refund your product, CLICK HERE

Incident Investigation Workshop

9/6/2023

Registration is OPEN for the IAMU Incident Investigation Workshop
October 5, 2023

This workshop is designed to give basic working knowledge to those conducting incident investigations in the workplace. Employers, supervisors, lead employees or anyone that is part of a safety committee are encouraged to attend. The workshop will include discussion on how to develop a safety and health management system, how to lead an incident investigation, how to conduct effective interviews and how to write the report.

Questions?
Contact Margret Meade at mmeade@iamu.org or (515) 210-6617

For additional information and online registration, please click HERE

Upcoming NCCER Re-Cert Classes

9/5/2023

OSHA’s updated crane standard REQUIRES that operators of lifting equipment be trained, evaluated and tested in order to obtain re-certification.

Who Should Attend:
Digger derrick and service truck crane operators who currently hold a mobile crane operator’s certification.

What Do These Classes and Certification Consist Of:
Classes will be a 3-days long, classroom instruction, an on-line exam that has an 80% pass requirement, a practical exam for re-certification of mobile crane. Students who pass the written and practical exams receive nationally recognized certification from the National Center for Construction Education Research (NCCER).

Upcoming Operator Re-Certification Class Dates:
September 26 – 28
October 17 – 19
October 31 – November 1 & 2

For additional information about the classes and online registration for each event, click HERE.

Questions?
If you have any questions in regards to the classes, or requirements, please contact:
Margret Meade, IAMU Safety Outreach Coordinator (mmeade@iamu.org)
Phone: 515.210.6617