Potomac Edison Adds New Line and Substation Employees from Power Systems Institute Training Program

WILLIAMSPORT, Md., June 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Potomac Edison, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. FE, has hired seven new line and substation employees from the Power Systems Institute training program as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance service reliability for customers in Maryland and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.

The Power Systems Institute is a utility training partnership established in 2012 with Pierpont Community & Technical College in Fairmont, W.Va.  Future line students in the Potomac Edison area will be trained at Blue Ridge Community and Technical College in Martinsburg, W.Va., while substation students in the Potomac Edison area will continue to attend Pierpont.

These new employees are members of the second graduating class of the Power Systems Institute and earned an associate of applied science degree in Electric Utility Technology.

"The Power Systems Institute continues to produce well-trained, highly skilled employees for our workforce," said James A. Sears, Jr., president of FirstEnergy's Maryland operations and vice president of Potomac Edison.  "These new employees will work shoulder-to-shoulder with our veteran linemen and substation personnel, learning from them in the field and honing their craft to help ensure reliable service for our customers, now and for years to come."

The new employees, hometowns, and work locations are:  Jacob Damico, Lower Burrell, Pa., Mount Airy, Md.;  Ronald Dugan, Jr., Petersburg, W.Va., Petersburg; Michael Hartman, Purgitsville, W.Va., Berkeley Springs, W.Va.;  Harley Hines, Shanks, W.Va., Cumberland, Md.; Logan Mongold, Petersburg, W.Va., Petersburg; Joshua Placka, Westernport, Md., Martinsburg, W.Va.; and Corbin Swauger, Midlothian, Md., Cumberland, Md.

The Power Systems Institute curriculum requires two-and-a-half days each week spent at Pierpont completing academic course work, with the remainder of the week spent at a Mon Power training facility in White Hall, W.Va., focusing on safe work practices and procedures in the electrical environment.  Future Potomac Edison line students will attend Blue Ridge for academic coursework, and a Potomac Edison training facility in Williamsport, Md. for field training. 

The Power Systems Institute is an award-winning, two-year educational program originally developed by FirstEnergy in 2000 to help prepare the company's next generation of utility line and substation workers.  Since its inception, FirstEnergy has hired 884 line and 289 substation personnel who completed Power Systems Institute programs in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and West Virginia.

For information about how to enroll in the Power Systems Institute program, call 1-800-829-6801, or go to www.firstenergycorp.com/psi.

Potomac Edison serves about 257,000 customers in seven Maryland counties and more than 137,000 customers in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.  Follow Potomac Edison on Twitter @PotomacEdison. 

FirstEnergy is a diversified energy company dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence.  Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York.  Visit FirstEnergy on the web at www.firstenergycorp.com, and on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.

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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.