Rushie, I definitely liked your post here.
40 years in power plants and substations, then 5 more just in power plants.
Never had a snow day, those were the days we were needed most. Worked 16 hours straight to get the lights back on at Walter Reed Army Hospital, missing my final exam in Calculus.
Many times, went in for a normal day, came home 30 or more hours later, normally in terrible weather.
OSHA theoretically put an end to that, but dedicated employees ignore the regs when they are in good physical condition, and the company sees to it that we were paid properly. Tornadoes, blizzards, and hurricanes do immense damage, and outside California, people get power back as soon as possible.
I called my boss one storm, told him I was used up, about 3 AM, 19 1/2 hours after I arrived at work, and needed to go home. He asked me to sleep at the station until I felt OK, and call him when ready to go some more. The blue print table and a phone book sufficed, and 4 hours later, refreshed, I called him, he informed me some more equipment was in alarm due to lightning surges, take care of that, and let him know when I was ready to go elsewhere. The work ended at 10 AM the following day.
Holidays, though, we were nearly all off, subject to call in if an emergency occurred. Those who were in, definitely were working, and the staffing was at the lowest that could be done safely.
