Unlike many nearby communities that lost power for days or weeks, Devens’ electrical power was down only a short time following the destructive Dec. 11 ice storm, said Devens Fire Chief Thomas Garrity in an interview this week. He reported that Devens “crews did exceptionally well during the storm. At one point, we had 32 calls in four hours, but by 6:30 Friday evening [Dec. 12], everyone on Devens had power.”
Crews from Wellesley Municipal Light Plant (WMLP), Devens’ electric service provider, worked alongside Devens firefighters, Department of Public Works crews, and state police.
WMLP is responsible for the electrical supply of the approximately 120 residences and 180 commercial enterprises on Devens, as well as the maintenance of the supply lines that provide electricity. The Devens Utilities Department also provides local electrical services to the Devens community. Devens’ electrical infrastructure includes approximately 68 miles of power transmission lines and three electrical substations. Over the past 10 years, virtually the entire electrical infrastructure has been upgraded: older poles and lines have been replaced, and substations have been rebuilt and upgraded.
Garrity has two active firefighters on site at Devens and recalled four more firefighters during the ice-storm emergency.
“State Police cruisers blocked roads, allowing line crews to make repairs,” Garrity said. At the same time, Devens DPW crews removed branches and cleared roadways. Garrity said that “local crews trim lines and work on the system frequently, so they are familiar with the system.” This familiarity made repairs go smoothly, he said.
Businesses on Devens survived the storm with relative ease. The Evergreen Solar plant on Barnum Road was without power for “only few hours,” Garrity reported. The Evergreen Solar site has generators, so when power from the grid is interrupted, the plant falls back on its local resources. Garrity added that Bristol-Meyers Squibb was also back online relatively quickly.
