In the unlikely event you experience a power outage, please follow the steps below:

  1. Check the breakers or fuses in the building where the electricity is out;
  2. Check the breaker below your meter;
  3. If the electricity is still out, call your neighbor to see if they have electricity;
  4. Call Park Electric Cooperative at (406) 222-7778 or (888) 298-0657 Monday – Friday 8:00 – 5:00 pm. If the outage is outside of office hours please call (855) 999-9492.
  5. Please provide us with the name of the account holder, a phone number where we can reach you if we have further questions and the location of the power outage.
  6. Feel free to check our Facebook page if the outage occurs during office hours for updated information.

As a rural electric provider, Park Electric Cooperative maintains miles and miles of lines throughout Park county and surrounding areas.  Many times, those lines are effected by wind, snow, trees and wildlife. In order for the power to stay on if any of these things do effect the lines, we have systems in place to protect your service.  When the lights in your home blink, it means that the system is working to keep your lights on and protect the system from damage. 

Just as the circuit breakers or fuses in your house protect the electrical system in the home, Park Electric has devices to protect the power lines that deliver electricity to our homes and businesses.  These devices are Oil Circuit Reclosers (OCR's).  OCR's automatically reset themselves if the problem that caused them to open is no longer present.  Problems that cause a power line to trip off include a tree falling on the line, a conductor slap due to wind, snow or ice, or animals getting into the line.

An OCR reacts to a fault by beginning a series of internal switching operations.  It opens and closes a switch, as many as three times, testing to see if the fault has cleared itself.  This is why you see your lights blink, sometimes up to three times.  On the fourth operation, if the fault is still there, the OCR will remain open and disconnect the line segment.  This results in a power outage for that section of line.

Before OCR's were installed, if any problem on the line existed, there would be a definite outage and the crews would be dispatched to fix the problem before your electricity could come back on . OCR's, while causing the lights to blink, help keep your lights on.