After a long winter and spring — and months of quarantine — many are itching to get outside. The warmer northwest Indiana weather will certainly coax your family to enjoy more outdoor activities. But while you transition from spring to summer, you may forget about some of the dangers outside.

Kankakee Valley REMC is responsible for providing you with the power you need. We do this while also focusing on safety. 

KV REMC has a tree trimming program that highlights two elements: safety and reliability. As trees age, there’s a higher risk of them falling onto power lines during storms with high winds. Our tree trimmers identify these at-risk trees and remove or trim them back when the branches are too close to the lines. This helps eliminate unnecessary outages. 

We also trim trees to protect your family. Kids love to climb trees. Yes, it’s fun and a great way to burn off energy but it’s also very dangerous — especially near power lines. Power lines can be hidden within an overgrown tree. As kids climb trees, with their added weight, the branches can touch power lines. This could turn into a hazardous situation. Our tree trimmers recognize these hazards and trim the trees to expose the power lines. Though we do all we can to reduce power line encounters, it’s still important to educate your children about the dangers of climbing trees near power lines.

Most people associate electrical dangers with overhead power lines. But the same dangers exist in the ground. If you live in a subdivision, you might receive your power from a pad-mount transformer (aka “that big green box”). A pad-mount transformer carries high voltage electricity and helps transport power to you through underground power lines. To children, these green boxes are perfect for climbing and playing on. Although we keep them locked, if they were opened it could be deadly. Warn your kids of the dangers of playing on or near these boxes. 

Your cooperative promotes a culture of safety within the organization and the community. We ensure that our employees are working safely and are receiving vital safety training monthly. Your safety is important to us too. We hope you are practicing safety every day.

In addition, if you suspect a tree needs trimmed please help our operations department by reporting it to our office.  Never attempt to trim a tree yourself when it is near a power line.   

I hope you and your family have many fun and safe summer days ahead.