Broken Bow residents may notice an SUV with extra equipment on top over the next few days. From December 5 – 10, utility inspection company Fast Forward out of Kearney will be helping the City of Broken Bow examine its power lines and poles, looking for hot-spots that could indicate trouble down the road.
According to Broken Bow Electrical Superintended Blake Waldow, the service provided by Fast Forward will actually accomplish four separate goals at once.
Along with looking for potential trouble-spots along utility lines using thermal imaging, Fast Forward will help update the city’s GIS utility map showing pole locations and types, and assist with emergency response management by allowing the City to react to and be reimbursed for issues with the electric grid more rapidly. The detailed mapping will also allow for a joint-use audit, showing the city what other services, such as phone and internet cables, are attached to their power poles.
While the Fast Forward camera vehicle will traverse each street in Broken Bow, Waldow was sure to note that the infrared cameras are trained up at the Electric Utility’s poles themselves. The cameras will not be looking directly at homes or businesses in town.
More information on Fast Forward and the company’s utility inspection process can be found on their website, ff-ai.com.
