Emergency Management Improvement: Boosting Storm Event Reliability

First Quartile’s T&D Benchmarking Program provided us with invaluable insights into both our strengths and areas for improvement. While our non-major event reliability was a positive, our storm event reliability and response were identified as key areas needing attention.

Using First Quartile’s benchmarking data, we identified critical gaps in our storm response and began implementing improvements in June 2024. These enhancements were put to the test during a storm in August 2024, where restoration, previously estimated to take 5 days, was completed in just 2 days. Equally compelling, the accelerated restoration proved to be significantly less costly from both a cash and non-cash standpoint.  This dramatic improvement was a direct result of the new plans we implemented based on First Quartile’s insights.

This progress demonstrates how essential First Quartile’s benchmarking has been in guiding us toward high-performing industry standards, allowing us to significantly improve our storm event response and better serve our customers.

This testimonial comes from a small utility in the mid-Atlantic region, where a senior executive who had previously experienced the benefits of First Quartile Consulting’s Benchmarking Program rejoined the benchmarking community as part of his new role at another utility. His experience and commitment to improving storm response have already delivered tangible results.