Handling a live wire at a substation or operating a high voltage switch in an underground vault is just another day on the job for SDG&E electric troubleshooters. But it isn’t an ordinary gig. It’s one that requires intense training on all things electric to ensure the highest level of safety for our customers and employees. When our customers have an outage, they can count on the tireless efforts of SDG&E’s electric troubleshooters to track down and fix problems to safely restore power.
New SDG&E Troubleshooters Complete Essential Skills Training
SDG&E recently welcomed six new relief electric troubleshooters to its team, all of who underwent a rigorous seven week training course – the first step in a long road to becoming electric experts and joining the 42 permanent electric troubleshooters in the company. The course extensively covered every possible scenario that would cause an outage and how to handle the situation. Students got hands-on experience in the field and at the company’s Skills Training Center, which hosts a variety of mock equipment and simulated situations essential to learning the ins and outs of the electrical system. From learning to set commercial and residential meters to making a transmission switch on extremely high voltage lines, the troubleshooters practiced how to safely and expertly detect and repair damage to the electric system while prioritizing safety.
“Being a troubleshooter means you lose sleep, miss out on family time and risk your life to keep the lights on, but most of us say that it’s the best job in the company,” says Joseph Delgadillo, an SDG&E electric troubleshooter who coordinated the training. “It’s a job that is rewarding because you know you are helping keep the community safe and turn the lights on.”
The electric troubleshooter training is an essential part of our commitment to promote public safety and protect our employees. Click here to learn more about our commitment to safety.