JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — With record-breaking heat Tuesday, JEA nearly hit its all-time summer usage peak which was set 16 years ago. The high electric use is keeping crews busy in the heat.
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“Heat days -- we don’t like working anymore than we have to, but the heat index doesn’t mean anything to us. We try to work through it,” Chris Richardson, a coordinator at JEA’s westside service center, said.
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Linemen and women wear heavier shirts for fire protection, rubber gloves, and hard hats. But the extra safety precautions mean it can be difficult in the heat.
“This morning I told them -- make sure you’re hydrated and cool,” Richardson said.
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He added that crew leads know how to spot the signs of heat exhaustion. According to Jacksonville Fire & Rescue, 23 people in Duval have been taken to the hospital for heat exposure since July 1st.
Richardson said the key for his crews is water and breaks. He said they start at 6:30 a.m. to get most of the heavy work done in the morning.
JEA said its system usage peak was 2,868 megawatts Monday and 2,856 megawatts on Tuesday. The all-time summer peak was set in Aug. 2007 at 2,937
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