Tom Reeves

I have been employed as a power line worker with Essential Energy for just over 12 years now.

Starting out completing a 4 year apprenticeship with the company.

In that time I have gained a lot of experience, qualifications, local knowledge and have been able to build some great working relationships with many fellow employees from all over NSW.

I have been in a leading hand role as a tradesperson on job sites for many years now and have the knowledge to train and guide others where needed.

I have been part of an "On-Call" roster for almost 10 years now gaining a lot of experience in fault finding and problem solving as well as being able to navigate in challenging conditions.

In my time at Essential Energy i have been deployed to many natural disasters and storm events including;

-Central Coast Storms

-Mid North Coast Storms

-Murray region vegetation management

-2019-2020 Bushfire response

-North coast Floods

-Countless other local storm or fire events

I have also been part of the RHSEC team and been a first aid attendant for the Young depot for the last 6 years.

I take great pride in my work and take care of all tools, equipment and vehicles.

As well as working at Essential Energy I own and operate a small transport business focusing primarily on grain cartage for harvest, operating my own prime mover and trailers. I have also transported several oversize loads including Headers, Tractors and earthmoving equipment.

Running my own business has given me some great experience in dealing with and overcoming challenges, as well as keeping track of records and managing invoices and business activity statements.

Compliance and maintenance is a huge part of operating a heavy vehicle such as, log book compliance, pre- operational checks and managing weights and size limits. Understanding these requirements also relates to my role at Essential Energy frequently operating Heavy vehicles and other plant.

I have been part of the Rural Fire Service for many years, starting out as a junior member and worked my way up through to the current role of Deputy Captain.

I have gained many qualifications in my time, predominantly focusing on and working as part of a Remote Area Firefighting Team (RAFT).

(RAFT) is a specialized qualification and requires a high level of fitness and knowledge to obtain, given the nature working with aircraft is essential and i have gained several qualifications in this field, such as winching from helicopters and hover entry/exit.