Overview
Electric Sector Mutual Assistance was developed many decades ago and has continuously evolved over the years for numerous reasons including, response to increased customer expectations, safety of employees and the public, dependency on electricity by critical/essential customers, regulatory expectations. and possible economic, social, and humanitarian impacts that large extended outages could have on the nation.
The formation of Electric Associations, such as Edison Electric Institute, Southeastern Electric Exchange, and Western Energy Institute, are, and continue to be, some of the driving forces behind development of the formalized Mutual Assistance program.
Purpose and Objectives
Over the years the purpose of Mutual Assistance has become consistent among the Electric Sector, to promote and encourage the following:
- Promote the safety of employees and customers
- Maintain a strong customer focus
- Restore service in an effective and efficient manner
- Effectively collaborate with legislative groups to develop consistent standards
- Develop long and lasting relationships among electric utilities
- Promote and strengthen communications and trust among member utilities
- Provide a means for requesting companies to receive verified competent, trained employees and contractors from other experienced utilities
- Provide a predefined mechanism to share resources expeditiously
- Mitigate risks and costs of member utilities related to major incidents
- Proactively improve resource sharing during emergency conditions
- Improved relationships with line and logistic contractors
- Interactions with Cooperatives and Municipalities
- Share industry best practices and technologies that helps electric sector improve their abilities to prepare for and respond to emergencies
- Promote and strengthen communication between Regional Mutual Assistance Groups
- Enable a consistent, unified response to emergency events
Resources and Response
Electric Sector Mutual Assistance has become more than physical personnel to restore service. It is an efficient and effective process that includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- Qualified Distribution and Transmission line personnel (safety and construction standards)
- Locating and supplying equipment and material designed for specific conditions
- Rapid and expected response
- Scalable response depending on request
- Material
- Damage Assessment process and resources
- Tree Trimming/Vegetation Management
- Additional Support Roles (i.e. Stores, Call Center Representatives, Media, Security, Claims)
- Logistics (food, housing, fuel, staging sites, etc )
- Regional Exercises
- Subject matter expertise
Transfers and Contingency Plans
Mutual Assistance includes primary and secondary response with back-up contingency plans. Contingency plans are developed by the smaller, more regionalized RMAGs (Regional Mutual Assistance Groups). These plans assure that resource transfers have a minimal affect on a regional area in case an unexpected event occurs. Contingency plans can be done in various ways depending on the amount of resources being transferred either from a region or a larger geographic area such as across North America.
External Agencies Interactions
The Electric Sector is highly regulated and interacts with regulatory agencies routinely. The regulatory agencies, emergency operations centers, and local first responders, to name a few, understand mutual assistance concept since it is part of the National Incident Management System (NIMS). NIMS allows for participation in regulatory and industry change in support of mutual assistance
Mutual Assistance Groups Focus
The footprint of Mutual Assistance Groups has expanded beyond response to natural disasters to include, but is not limited, to:
- Preparations for special events such as the Presidential Inauguration, Super Bowl, conventions, G-20 Summit and Olympic Games
- Security Issues
- Civil Emergencies
- Pandemic
- Exchange of Best Practices
Mutual Assistance Guidelines
EEI's GOVERNING PRINCIPLES COVERING EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE has been utilized as the foundation for developing additional guidelines by Regional Mutual Assistance Groups. Guidelines are developed to reduce and/or eliminate response delays, general confusion, set expectation in pre-event, event, and post event modes, liability, and financial fairness. These guidelines are routinely reviewed and updated from lessons learned and or best practices within the Electric Sector.
EEI Staff Contacts