Safety on the scene

You never know when your skills will be called upon to make a difference.

June 11, 2025, was Brandon Greene’s day. With his quick action and the assistance of a fellow co-op, he helped ensure the safety of two individuals caught in a dangerous situation.

Greene, Minnkota Power Cooperative’s Safety Administrator, had just finished conducting a training session at a substation just south of Grand Forks, North Dakota. The training was attended by several employees of Nodak Electric Cooperative, along with lineworkers from municipal utilities in the region. After wrapping up some final questions with Nodak Assistant Line Superintendent and Safety Coordinator Derek Sondreal and his team, it was time to head back to headquarters.

As Greene drove to the west, something strange caught his attention to the south. At first, he thought a farmer’s auger was placed close to another utility’s power line.

“It didn’t look right,” he recalled. “As I got closer and closer, it looked like there was, maybe, dust coming up or something. Well, it was the grass on fire, and the power pole was on top of a vehicle.”

Greene immediately called Sondreal, who was close behind with some of the Nodak crew. As Sondreal pulled up, he saw two men in the vehicle that had hit the pole. The passenger was opening his door to get out – a potentially deadly decision after striking a power pole, as the vehicle and surrounding ground could be energized.

“Brandon jumped out and yelled at him, ‘No, no, no! Stay inside!’” Sondreal said. The passenger did just that.

“I told them they needed to stay in there until we made sure the line was de-energized, that no power was going to it anymore,” Greene said. He continued to talk to the passengers through their open window at a safe distance, as the Nodak crew got to work directing traffic around the site and monitoring the grass fire. The co-op vehicles were equipped with fire extinguishers, but they couldn’t approach until they knew power wasn’t feeding into the ground.

“At one point, the grass fire was getting worse, so we thought maybe we would have to have them jump out of the vehicle,” Greene said. He calmly explained the situation to the men in the vehicle and described the steps for safely jumping from a potentially energized vehicle (see Bunny Hop Method below). However, the fire went out before an escape was necessary.

The driver had already called 911, so soon the Grand Forks Sheriff’s Department, Thompson Fire Department and an Altru Health Services ambulance were all on the scene. Sondreal called his contacts with the utility that owned the line, and they were able to confirm the line was de-energized. Ultimately, no one was seriously injured.

“Brandon did a phenomenal job. He was the guy calling the shots,” Sondreal said. “He told our guys what to do, and they started directing traffic. We sent one to each side and Brandon just made sure the guys stayed there and watched over that area.”

Greene said he was nervous throughout the situation, but he was grateful to find a calm focus in his response. “What came into play and helped me out a lot was just having worked with our crews through the years and gaining all the knowledge they have,” he said. “I definitely have to give them a lot of credit.”

MAIN IMAGE: Nodak's Derek Sondreal (left) and Minnkota's Brandon Greene worked together to ensure site safety after a pole strike in June.

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Bunny Hop Method

If you contact a power pole or line, STAY IN THE VEHICLE until help arrives. Do not exit until it’s confirmed that the line is de-energized. If there is smoke or fire and you MUST exit, follow these steps.

• Cross your arms tightly across your chest.
• Jump out with your feet tightly together (don’t touch the ground and vehicle at the same time).
• Shuffle or bunny hop far away. Do not let your feet come apart.