A bird flew into a power line, knocking out electricity and sending traffic lights flashing in a wide swath of Red Deer.
Although the damage on Thursday morning at 8:35 a.m. was quickly rectified — the power outage was momentary, while the traffic lights were re-set within the hour — the occurrence wasn’t entirely unexpected.
Jim Jorgensen, Red Deer’s Electric Light and Power Manager, said it’s the time of year when young birds are testing their wings and occasionally spanning them between two wires or otherwise “getting into the equipment” and tripping a breaker.
City workers found a dead bird — possibly a crow or magpie — beside an electric line. It’s likely that workers were directed to the site by a city resident who heard the zap, said Jorgensen, since it would otherwise have been hard to find.
The power outage affected a large area, from downtown Red Deer to 32nd Street, along Gaetz Avenue and out to Taylor Drive.
Outages due to “wildlife interference” usually happen in the months of June and July. When they do occur, Jorgensen added that city electric light and power workers put protective covers on wiring and “energized equipment” at the site.
If there’s a bird’s nest near a power line, this would prevent other incidents from occurring at that spot.
He explained it would be very costly and time consuming to fit these covers around all power lines, so it’s done on a case-by-case basis, as needed.
He encouraged Red Deer residents to call the city at 403-342-8274 whenever they experience electrical problems.
Although the municipality has equipment that detects outages, Jorgensen said it’s important to hear what residents have heard or seen as this helps identify the cause of the problem quicker.
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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