Guard thanks Nevada Power volunteers for help in training

Dick Benoit

Thursday, April 26, 2001 | 9:15 a.m.

The Nevada Army National Guard's 440th Signal Company (Cable and Wire) received safety training recently from Nevada Power Co.

Linemen, foremen and safety consultants volunteered their time to train the new cable and wire unit, and not all of the soldiers were accustomed to the equipment, company 1st Sgt. John Herzberg said.

"All of our equipment is brand new to us and we're the only ones in the state to have it," Herzberg said, "so it was great to have the Nevada Power experts show us the ropes in regards to safety standards and operation."

The Nevada Power crews trained the Guardsmen to dig with an auger and place 45-foot poles, and how to deal with trees and other obstacles. They also instructed the soldiers in safety practices when working with boom trucks around electricity lines.

Brig. Gen. Robert Hayes, the Guard's commander, expressed the Guard's appreciation Friday by presenting the energy company a plaque and seven employees with Nevada State Commendation Medals.

Following remarks at Nevada Power's Ryan Center, 2215 Lone Mountain Road, Hayes presented the plaque to Nevada Power President Steve Rigazio, then presented medals and certificates to Nevada Power employees Steve Hitchcock, Kevin Furlong, Tim Bragg, Kevin Houck, Lex Oden, Bryan Beachler and Scott Paris.

"It seemed only right that if we had the expertise, we should donate our time to help out the Guard," Hitchcock, a Nevada Power safety consultant, said. "We know that sometimes the Guard unit has to leave their families and their jobs, and if they can do that for us, we can step up to the plate to help them be safe."

Humanitarian mission

Twenty-one medical specialists from the 99th Medical Group at Nellis Air Force Base have joined 300 other U.S. military members in a humanitarian training exercise in northern Paraguay called "Nuevos Horizontes," or New Horizons.

According to Staff Sgt. Jim Bianchi, a Nellis spokesman, the exercise focuses on refining combat engineering skills and practicing medical readiness under austere conditions.

The Nellis doctors, nurses and technicians are setting up initial medical services in a new clinic being constructed by the combat engineers they are joining in Paraguay. The engineers are also constructing a small school and digging wells in the area of the exercise.

In brief