NSP Boss Personally Thanks Firefighters
The Chief Operating Officer of Nova Scotia Power is crossing the province to personally thank firefighters for their above-and-beyond service during and after Hurricane Fiona.
Dave Pickles was joined in the Cumberland tour by Mayor Murray Scott and Chief Administrative Officer Greg Herrett.
They met with a number of members at the Pugwash Fire Department, exchanging stories of the storm and deep felt thanks and handshakes.
Mayor Scott noted the firefighters left their own homes in the dark to help others through the crisis. He added, “Without them, I don’t know what we would have done.”
The NSP boss said the storm was much bigger and more powerful than anyone expected. Pickles says about one thousand power poles were destroyed. He added, “It is more of a rebuilding task than a restoration.”
Asked if the company might consider a different approach to ensuring power distribution in the face of further threats from climate change, he said, “We will need to think more broadly as we review this storm.”
However, Pickles does not see buried cables a system wide solution in Nova Scotia. He said, “Unlike some other areas, we are mostly on rock. Putting the lines underground is almost financially impossible.”
While crews from the Department of Natural Resources and the Canadian Armed forces helped with clearing trees and debris blocking access to power lines, trained power crews dealt with the wires and poles.
Pickles says NSP was assisted by power company staff from Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, and New England —many still on the job.
The photo shows: back row, left to right, Cumberland Fire Services Director Allan Cole, Robert Carter Sr., Kyle Laird, Murray Mills, and county CAO Greg Herrett, and front row, Mayor Murray Scott John Murray, Dave Pickles, COO of Nova Scotia Power, and Robert Carter Jr.
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