If you see a helicopter hovering around some power lines in the next couple of weeks, don’t be alarmed. It’s just Indiana Michigan Power doing some aerial tree trimming. Spokesperson Tracy Warner tells us they hire a contractor to protect power lines from tree growth.
“What we do it we look for areas where trees and vegetation may get into the power lines,” Warner said. “Obviously, we don’t want that. That hurts reliability and is also a safety concern. So, our helicopter goes along and checks out those areas. They fly along the power lines and look for areas where trees may encroach on the power lines, and they trim them.”
Warner says it is an interesting sight with the trimmer attached to the chopper.
“It looks lie a little bit like a chainsaw, only a lot bigger and a lot longer.”
They’ll start Monday and work all over Cass and Van Buren counties. The operation moves fast as the helicopter races from area to area. The operation will continue for two or three weeks and run from 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
