Outage Safety

• Keep people, equipment and objects at least 30 feet away from power lines.
• Never attempt to remove a fallen tree or branch from a power line. You could be seriously injured or killed.
• If a tree or branch does come in contact with a power line, keep yourself and others away from the tree and call 911 and NorthWestern Energy immediately.

Outages occur for many reasons. Here are the most common causes of unplanned outages:

• System equipment, such as service lines, underground conductor, transformers and insulators.
• Birds and squirrels.
• Debris on the pole or in the line.
• Weather, such as snow, thunderstorms or extreme temperatures.

This can vary greatly depending on the cause of an outage. Sometimes restoring power is as simple as removing a branch that has fallen on a line. Other times, it might require replacing a pole that was hit by a vehicle or blown over in a storm. Sometimes we can switch customers to a different circuit while we make repairs, greatly reducing outage time. If a major storm knocks down numerous poles and takes out several lines, an outage can last hours or even days.

Our top priority is always the safety of our crews and our customers. While restoring power quickly is our goal, our crews take the time required to make repairs safely.

Do not open freezers or refrigerators more than necessary. A refrigerator will keep food cold for about 4 hours if it is unopened. A full freezer will keep the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed.

You can fill empty space in your freezer with perishable items from your refrigerator, which will help keep these items fresh and help your freezer keep it's temperature. You can also fill your freezer with jugs of water or bags of ice.

If the power doesn't come back on after four hours, you may want to consider buying ice and filling a cooler. Move perishable items from your fridge to the cooler. Use a thermometer to make sure the cooler stays below 40 degrees. Add ice as needed.

NorthWestern Energy makes it easy for you to detect natural gas leaks by adding an unpleasant rotten egg or skunk-like smell to natural gas. If you smell this odor:

1. Get away. Leave the area immediately.
2. Don't create a spark. Do not use phones, matches, light switches or anything else that could trigger the ignition of the gas.
3. When at a safe distance, call 911.

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1. Walk around your house and make sure your electric and gas meter are clear of snow and ice. Shovel a path to your meter. This allows us to access it in an emergency situation.
2. Use a soft broom or a gloved hand to remove snow and ice from your meters. Never use a shovel, pick or flame.
3. Be sure the regulator on your gas meter is clear of snow and ice. Check to make sure other vents are clear.

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Call 911, if you notice any of these signs of a pipeline leak:
• An unusual blowing or hissing sound coming from the ground.
• Dirt or dust blowing from a hole in the ground.
• Bubbling ponds.
• Dead or discolored vegetation in an otherwise green area near a pipeline right of way.
• A fire close to a buried pipeline.

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After every snow, be sure to clear off your gas meter gently using your hands or a broom. Never use a shovel. Gas meters have a vent that regulates pressure. If snow piles up and covers the vent, it won’t work properly. This could lead to a service interruption or even a gas leak, which could cause a fire or explosion.

Also be sure all appliance exhaust vents are clear from blowing and drifting snow. Blocked appliance vents could result in a buildup of deadly carbon monoxide.

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The maintenance of buried gas piping downstream of the gas meter to gas-fired appliances or other structures on the property is the responsibility of the home/property owner or current occupant.

NorthWestern Energy is required to inform customers with privately owned natural gas or propane service lines of their responsibility to inspect and maintain their piping (Code of Federal Regulations 49 CFR 192.16). Customers should have the pipes periodically inspected for leaks, and metallic pipes should also be inspected for corrosion by qualified professionals, such as your local plumber. Any unsafe conditions should be repaired immediately, or the flow of gas should be shut off.

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