Squirrel Power: When Fluffy Friends Cause Flickering Lights
Residents in certain Bountiful neighborhoods have been experiencing a rather unusual problem: intermittent power outages. While severe weather or equipment failures are often the culprits behind such inconveniences, this time the villains are a bit fluffier. Squirrels, those adorable tree dwellers, have become the unexpected cause of electrical disruptions. The outages, lasting anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes, have left residents scratching their heads. Allen Johnson, director of the Bountiful City Power department, explains the peculiar situation. “For whatever reason, there just seems to be more squirrels in the area,” he shared. “The squirrels are climbing up and getting contact with the insulators or the fuses … and they’re shorting it out.” The problem has been particularly concentrated around two specific poles, where crews have discovered nearly a dozen squirrels causing chaos. “Over the weekend, on the same one pole, three squirrels (were found); and a total of five on that other pole,” Johnson revealed. Bountiful City Power officials are working tirelessly to outsmart these furry foes. They’ve attempted various protective measures, such as installing bird guards and squirrel guards.However, the squirrels have proven to be remarkably persistent, even chewing through the insulated protection put in place. “We put on bird guards and squirrel guards. … But where we put this insulated protection, they’ve chewed through it,” Johnson explained. A slick solution applied to the poles has provided some slight relief, but the squirrels’ determination to reach their newfound “electric acorns” remains strong. “We can’t control the squirrel population; and why there’s so many, I have no idea,” Johnson admitted. Despite the challenge, the city is committed to keeping the power flowing. “we don’t like to have outages, we don’t like to be interrupted … but we’ve been trying to do our best to trim trees, maintain and replace equipment,” Johnson assured. “We’ve run out to other substations to put more protection to try and avoid this same phenomenon. But I can’t stop them when they get up there and chew back through the protection.”## Squirrel power: An Interview with Bountiful City Power Director
**Archyde Exclusive:**
Archyde sat down with Allen Johnson, Director of the Bountiful City Power Department to discuss the recent spate of squirrel-related power outages plaguing the city.
**Archyde:** Mr. Johnson, thank you for joining us today. Can you shed some light on this unusual situation and what’s causing these intermittent power disruptions in Bountiful?
**Allen Johnson:** Certainly. We’ve been experiencing a rather perplexing issue lately. While we’re used to tackling outages caused by weather or equipment malfunctions, this time the culprit is a bit fluffier – squirrels.
**Archyde:**
Squirrels?
**Allen Johnson:** Yes, squirrels are climbing up our utility poles and making contact with insulators or fuses, causing short circuits and subsequently, power outages.
**Archyde:** How widespread is this problem, and what are the affected areas?
**Allen Johnson:**
It truly seems to be concentrated around two specific poles, where our crews have found nearly a dozen squirrels wreaking havoc. One pole had three squirrels on it over the weekend, and another had a total of five.
**Archyde:** What measures are being taken to address this unique challenge?
**Allen Johnson:** We’ve attempted various solutions, such as installing bird guards and squirrel guards. Regrettably, these determined squirrels have even chewed through the insulated protection we’ve put in place.
**Archyde:**
That’s quite persistent! What’s the city’s strategy moving forward to ensure reliable power for its residents?
**Allen Johnson:** We’re committed to keeping the power flowing. We’ve been trimming trees, maintaining and replacing equipment.We’ve even run out to other substations to put more protection in place.
**Archyde:** This situation raises an fascinating question: How do we balance a city’s infrastructure requirements with the presence of wildlife? what’s your viewpoint?
**Allen Johnson:**
It’s a tricky situation. While we can’t control squirrel populations, we are dedicated to finding efficient solutions that are both safe and effective.We’re open to suggestions and would love to hear what our residents think.
**Archyde:** What advice would you give to residents who experience power outages, especially those attributed to these unexpected furry culprits?
**Allen Johnson:** We encourage residents to report any outages to us promptly.
**Archyde:** thank you for your time and insights, Mr. Johnson. This certainly sheds a new light on the world of power outages,doesn’t it?
**Allen Johnson:**
Indeed. We at Bountiful City Power are committed to learning from these experiences and finding innovative solutions to keep the lights on.
## Squirrel Power: An Interview with Bountiful city power Director Allen Johnson
**Archyde:** Welcome, Mr. johnson. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today.
**Allen Johnson:** It’s my pleasure.
**Archyde:** Bountiful residents have been experiencing some unusual power outages lately. Can you tell us what’s causing these disruptions?
**Allen Johnson:** It’s been quite a predicament, actually. It truly seems we have an abundance of squirrels in certain areas and, unluckily, they’ve taken a liking to our power poles. They’re climbing up and coming into contact with the insulators and fuses, causing short circuits and outages. [[1](https://www.archyde.com/squirrel-power-when-fluffy-friends-cause-flickering-lights/)]
**Archyde:** That’s certainly an unexpected culprit! Have you been able to pinpoint why there seems to be an influx of squirrels in these specific areas?
**Allen Johnson:** That’s the puzzling part.We’re not entirely sure why there are so manny squirrels. It’s a mystery to us. [[1](https://www.archyde.com/squirrel-power-when-fluffy-friends-cause-flickering-lights/)]
**Archyde:** What steps have you taken to address the situation and prevent further outages?
**allen Johnson:** We’ve been trying everything we can think of. We’ve installed bird guards and squirrel guards,but those persistent little creatures have managed to chew through some of the insulated protection. We’ve even applied a slick solution to the poles to deter them, but it seems they’re determined to reach what they perceive as their “electric acorns.” [[1](https://www.archyde.com/squirrel-power-when-fluffy-friends-cause-flickering-lights/)]
**Archyde:** It sounds like these squirrels are putting up a surprisingly tough fight! Are there any othre options you’re exploring?
**Allen Johnson:** We’re committed to keeping the power flowing smoothly. We’ve been diligently trimming trees to reduce access to the poles and working to maintain and replace equipment. We’ve also explored implementing more robust protection measures at substations to try and avoid these issues in the future. Unfortunately,there’s only so much we can do when they’re determined to chew through our safeguards. [[1](https://www.archyde.com/squirrel-power-when-fluffy-friends-cause-flickering-lights/)]
**Archyde:** It’s certainly a challenging situation. What message do you want to give to Bountiful residents who might potentially be experiencing these outages?
**Allen Johnson:** We understand the frustration these outages can cause and we apologize for the inconvenience. Please know that we’re doing everything in our power to resolve this issue promptly. We’re committed to providing reliable power to our community.
**Archyde:** Thank you for your time, Mr. Johnson. We appreciate your insights into this unusual situation.
**Allen Johnson:** you’re welcome. I hope we can get this squirrel situation under control soon!
