If you or someone in your home uses life support equipment, Kootenai Electric needs to know. Please take the time to contact us.
Medical Needs During Power Outages
Part of our mission at Kootenai Electric is to provide members with reliable service, but there are times, due to the weather and acts of nature when your service will be interrupted. While no one likes power outages, they can be especially worrisome to those with special medical needs. Power interruptions are usually infrequent and brief, but as we saw from the storms last winter, members need to be prepared for days without power.
If you have a medical need that relies on electricity, here’s how we can help you during an outage:
- Sign up for KEC outage alerts. Log in to your account online or download the SmartHub app on your phone to stay connected with KEC.
- You can report power outages and electrical emergencies by calling (877) 744-1055, using your online account or by using the SmartHub app.
Here’s how you can help us restore power to members quickly and safely:
- Always report a power outage or electrical emergency, don’t assume someone else will call.
- If you have a generator installed, please call us at (208) 765-1200. For the safety of our employees and the public, we track where backup generators are installed.
Other Resources
The Food and Drug Administration published Guidance on Home Use Devices, recommending that individuals dependent on a medical device establish a plan for responding to a power outage and maintain medical information, a list of emergency contacts, extra oxygen tanks, battery backups, and contact information for transportation services. View Guidance on Home Use Devices (PDF).
Below are some tips provided by the Ready.gov website for making a power outage plan for those who rely on electricity for medical needs.
- Plan alternative ways to charge your mobile devices, and communication and assistive technology devices before disaster strikes.
- Plan how you will address your dependence on electricity. Tell your power company if you use oxygen- or mechanical ventilation. Be very clear about what you can expect from them in a power outage.
- Before disaster strikes, you may register with your power company. They may alert you when power will be restored in an unplanned outage and before a planned outage. This is particularly important if you use oxygen or mechanical ventilation.
- If you cannot be without power, plan for how you will obtain power backup. If possible, have a backup battery, generator, solar, or alternate electrical resources. Explore newer solutions, and also consider foot pumps and other simple tools that might suffice when nothing else works.
- Charge devices that will maintain power to your equipment during electric outages.
- Purchase extra batteries for power wheelchairs or other battery-operated medical or assistive technology devices. Keep the batteries trickle-charged at all times. Find out if you can charge your wheelchair or devices from a car or using rechargeable marine batteries. Make sure you assemble what you’ll need in advance.
- Backup chargers for a cell phone could include a hand-crank USB cell phone emergency charger, a solar charger, or a battery pack. Some weather radios have a built-in hand crank charger.
- Backup chargers for a laptop or tablet could include a 12V USB adapter that plugs into a car, an inverter, or a battery jump pack with a USB port.
- Receive important information on a cell phone or smartphone. Sign up for emergency emails and text messages on your cell phone from your local government alert system.
- Plan how you are going to receive emergency information if you are unable to use a television, radio, or computer. This may include having an adaptive weather alert system to alert you in the event of severe weather.
- Plan for medications that require refrigeration.