About 60 new Weslaco firefighters attended three days of electrical safety training last week led by AEP Texas employees in Weslaco to help prepare the department’s newest hires to respond safely to emergencies involving downed power lines and other electrical hazards.

Twenty firefighters attended each of the three sessions, where AEP Texas Distribution System Supervisor Antonio Pequeño and his team discussed electrical safety, downed-line response and the information firefighters need to share during an emergency.

Pequeño said the training helped both organizations better understand what happens on each side of an emergency call.

“We discussed electrical safety, responding to downed power line incidents, and the best ways to coordinate with AEP during emergencies,” he said.

AEP Texas said the trainings help local emergency responders and strengthen the utility’s relationship with the communities it serves.