What Will You Find When the Snow Melts?

Greater wits than us have famously said “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”  We have reached out to our Las Vegas office for confirmation on this, and we’re waiting to hear back.

For now, all we can say for sure is that “What happens under snow stays under snow”, at least until spring arrives and light poles, electrical pedestals, and above-ground enclosures reveal the true extent of damage incurred over the past few months.

Every year, as the cold weather finally leaves us and we approach Daylight Savings Time (Note: “spring forward” March 13), the phones start ringing with customers telling us what they found under the snow.  Most stories we hear involve snowplows, parking lots, student drivers, and problems our customers didn’t even know they had only a few weeks ago.

Wait…What?  A Snowplow Hit My Pole?

Hey, it happens.  Driving a snowplow is often a second (or third) job for the hard-working men and women who sign up to work overnight moving snow around.  Thank goodness for snowplow drivers!  For many of us, our daily lives are made possible by the work those people do each winter.

But coffee can only do so much, and sometimes long hours add up and accidents happen. The tricky business is the fact that sometimes these little (and bigger) dings don’t make it onto an incident report.  (What happens under snow, etc.)

At this time of year, we get numerous calls about parking lot lighting pole damage that has only become apparent as seasonal snow has begun to melt. As an experienced electrical contractor, this type of work is something we can anticipate each spring.

If you have recently discovered a damaged light pole in your parking lot, make sure not to disturb the area where the pole was damaged. If the pole is leaning, it represents a potential hazard to your customers or employees.  

For now, simply barricade the area around the pole so that if it falls no people or property are involved.  Once you give us a call, we can quickly assess the problem and safely get the pole back in service.

Oh No!  Not My Pedestal!  (What is a pedestal anyway?)

They’re pretty much everywhere once you think about it, but did you know that green or maybe gray metal enclosure near your building is referred to in our business as a “pedestal”?  That’s the enclosure that keeps electrical metering equipment safe and sound.

Electrical pedestals come in a variety of shapes and sizes, as do pad-mounted electrical transformer enclosures.  But one thing they all have in common is this: they work best when folks avoid hitting them with snowplows.  

As we’ve said already, however, accidents happen.  And who knows, maybe it wasn’t a snowplow.  Maybe it was a young driver learning how not to drive on icy pavement, in which case you can take some small comfort in thinking about the net positive social benefits.

Regardless of who hit your electrical pedestal, now that spring has arrived you’ll need to consider calling an electrician to come and take a look at it.  Your lights and other critical facility systems are powered and metered by the equipment in those boxes, and you don’t want them to fail.  Also, you have to consider the safety of your customers and employees when you discover an electrical enclosure that has been “lovingly tapped” over the winter.

Put Our Springtime Warriors to Work for Your Business

Year after year, when the snow finally melts folks know to call FSG for speedy and reliable electrical service.  Our customers understand that one call is all it takes to launch their businesses into Q2 with straight light poles, fit and tight pedestals, and well-maintained exterior electrical equipment that may have taken a beating over the winter months.

Another thing also happens year after year.  Each year FSG is listed among the nation’s Top 50 electrical contractors, an honor we have spent the last 40 years earning the old-fashioned way.

There is no parking lot carnage we have not seen countless times before.  Snowplows, blizzards, hurricanes, tornadoes, and yes, even student drivers have done their worst to our customer’s parking lots, and we always get them back up and running in no time.

One Service, Nationwide

At FSG, we very clearly understand the needs of our customers in northern climates where seasonal snowfall can obscure a number of repair and service issues that only become obvious – and urgent – once the snow melts.  But as a nationwide service provider, we also understand the seasonal issues that matter to customers in places that rarely get snow.

In every market in which we operate, we make it our business to understand the issues that matter most to our customers.  Storm repairs in coastal communities, light pole and pedestal damage in northern parking lots, emergency power and energy efficiency technology in desert climates… we get it, and we do it every day.

As it happens, no matter what specific job we execute and regardless of where we do the work, our service is always the same.  At FSG, we provide lasting value to our customers.  That’s what you get when you contact us. Call us at (877) 293-6689 or click here and fill out a form if you have found any damaged electrical equipment on your property. Our team is here to fix the problem.

Climates and market needs are not the same, but our commitment to lasting value does not change.   Wherever you are, and whatever electrical, lighting, signage, technology, or disinfection challenge you might face, FSG has a value-driven turnkey solution ready to go to work for you.

And like we said before, Daylight Savings Time begins March 13. Just as some folks like to change the batteries in their smoke detectors each year at this time, maybe now is the right time for you to give us a call for an annual inspection of your facility’s signage, lighting, photocells, and internal system clocks.