![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20161225085607im_/https://www.bpa.gov/news/newsroom/PublishingImages/2016/20160826-home-working.jpg)
Justine Tambou, an electrician with BPA, services an interrupter, one of the many tasks the substation maintenance workers do to keep substations running efficiently.
Substation maintenance at BPA is not as visible as line maintenance but it is essential to keeping the lights on in the Northwest.
The substation maintenance team at Ross Substation in Vancouver, Washington, is responsible for routine and emergency substation maintenance in the area.
“This is the other side of the lines,” said Dana McClain, electrician foreman III on the team. “We are inside the fence putting it all back together.”
Like line crews, the team is on call 24/7 in case of emergency.
“Normal maintenance finds problems in equipment that saves the team from emergency repairs,” explained electrician foreman I Monica Sykora.
“By being proactive and paying attention to the system and equipment data we are able to prevent some failures from happening,” said McClain. “Keeping the equipment from failing saves BPA millions in equipment replacements and potential environmental damage.”
With aging equipment, routine maintenance is no easy task. Some of the equipment the Ross crew maintains and repairs is more than 60 years old. The team has to work with the BPA shop to create replacement parts that are no longer available.
In addition to the important work the team does, it is the only substation maintenance team with more than one female member. The team of eight includes three women; McClain, Sykora and Justine Tambou, an electrician.
The team benefits from its diversity in a traditionally male-dominated industry.
“This is the first time, in my 14 years at BPA, that I have been on a team with another woman,” she said. “It is really nice to have such a diverse crew. Everyone brings something different to the team.”