SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Egyptian Electric Cooperative Association (EECA) proudly announces its lineworkers’ exceptional performance at the annual Lineworker’s Safety Rodeo, organized by the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives (AIEC).
Eighteen teams gathered in Springfield to compete in the friendly competition, with representation from 14 electric co-ops and two municipalities.
The EECA team showcased their agility, speed, accuracy, and safety expertise against lineworkers from all over Illinois.
EECA was proudly represented by linemen (from left) Andy Ahner of Carterville, Matt McElroy of Sparta, and Mike Smith of Murphysboro.
Matt McElroy and Mike Smith
They competed in various team and individual events, which included a 40-foot climb, pole top rescue, Hstructure obstacle course, cutout change, and head-to-head climbing challenge. The scoring considered completion time, task execution, and commitment to safety.
Despite fierce competition, the EECA team secured two first-place titles: the team pole top hurt man rescue and the team cutout change. Smith also brought home first place in the individual pole top rescue, second place in the 40′ pole speed climb, and was crowned the Climbing Challenge Champion! Matt McElroy snagged a third-place finish in the individual hurt man rescue.
Mke Smith
The cooperative’s mission of “improving the quality of life of our members at a reasonable cost” guides us as we meet the diverse needs of our service area in Southern Illinois.
Matt McElroy
“Serving members in portions of ten counties, including Franklin, Jackson, Johnson, Monroe, Perry, Randolph, Union, Williamson, Washington, and Saint Clair, we provide high-quality electric service at reasonable rates. We benchmark our efforts by our four core values: integrity, accountability, teamwork and commitment to community. At Egyptian Electric Cooperative Association, our employees serve you and we make management decisions based on these values. In other words, we desire to truly live up to your expectations!”