September 29, 2021

In the early morning of Aug. 19, a vehicle accident took out a utility pole – leaving customers of the Illuminating Company (CEI) without power in the Willoughby Hills area. A team of employees from the Mayfield service center responded by working throughout the night and into the next day to repair the extensive damage and restore service.

Troubleman Tony Disanto was the first Mayfield employee to arrive on the scene. He cleared damaged wires to ensure the site was safe for first responders.

Line & Substations Supervisor Juan Morell coordinated the initial response – calling out a crew consisting of Lineworker Leader Ross Giarrano and Lineworkers Andy Hespen and Sean Hamilton. Ross, Andy and Sean made repairs to partially restore power and make the area safe. Line & Substations Supervisor Mark Bordonaro arranged for the delivery of a new 65-foot pole to the site.

At 7 a.m., Lineworker Leader George Hull and Lineworkers Brad Day, Ryan Hall and Robert Mohney relieved the call-out crew. They installed the new pole and completed repairs to other damaged equipment – enabling CEI to re-energize the circuit. Utility Equipment Specialists Melvin Weir and Tommy Williams assisted with the work.

“With all of the safety concerns due to the downed wires and severely damaged equipment, it was truly a challenging task,” said Bill Niederst, supervisor, Line & Substations. “All of the crews worked safely, professionally and efficiently to have all customers back in power by the early afternoon.”

A Willoughby Hills resident sent the following message to city offi​cials: “I just wanted you to know how appreciative we are of the fast response last night from The Illuminating Company, police and firefighters. … The Illuminating crews were amazing – installing a new utility pole and restoring service.”​