Stores and hospitals respond to orders

Penn Power had warned that rolling blackouts were possible in the region.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
SHARON, Pa. -- Sharon Regional Health System voluntarily activated its emergency power system Friday after Penn Power's request that customers reduce electricity usage in the wake of Thursday's blackout.
Randy Coleman, Penn Power spokesman, had alerted emergency management agencies and major users of electricity early Friday about the possibility of rolling blackouts.
The blackouts, which can last from two to six hours, would prevent Penn Power's power grid from collapsing like the one serving New York, northern Pennsylvania, a substantial part of Ohio and much of southern Canada.
"We went into a brownout mode in the hospital," said Sam Kudelko, senior director of support services at Sharon Regional.
The hospital activated its five diesel generators used for backup power and shut off Penn Power service to all nonpatient areas of the hospital. Patient-care areas remained connected to their regular power supplies.
"It's a good test for us," Kudelko said, adding that everything went as planned.
The diesel generators can supply 75 percent of the hospital's power need, excluding things like air conditioning.
Ready for cutbacks
Other hospitals had their backup generators ready to go but didn't activate them.
Both United Community Hospital and both campuses of UPMC Horizon in Mercer County said all of their central patient-care areas can be powered by their generators, so there was no worry about a blackout.
Jameson Hospital North in New Castle turned off lighting where necessary, a spokeswoman said. Patient-care areas weren't affected, but offices that could go without lighting were turned off. She added that backup generators were ready for any power outages.
Stores and malls
The Shenango Valley Mall in Hermitage voluntarily cut back on its power use starting Thursday night, said Nello DelGreco, general manager of the Crown American property.
The thermostats on air-conditioning units were turned up to reduce demand and were turned up even higher Friday morning, he said. The mall also shut down unused portions such as meeting rooms and offices that aren't visible to the general public.
DelGreco said mall merchants did their part as well, turning up their air-conditioning thermostats Friday.
The same was true at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Union Township.
Terry Nannie, district manager, said corporate offices turned up the temperature in all area stores to conserve energy.
"It's a little warmer than usual," he said.
Nannie said stores in Mercer, Butler and Armstrong counties were also reduced to one-third lighting. The New Castle store could not do the same because its lighting system is different, but store employees were shutting off lights in noncustomer areas where possible, he said.
"The conservation has been superb," Coleman said.
XCONTRIBUTOR: Laure Cioffi, Vindicator New Castle Bureau.