Name: Kevin Ripplinger, federal employee
Title: Safety and Occupational Health Manager
Location: Lakewood, Colorado
Region: Headquarters
When did you start working with WAPA? I started working at WAPA in January 1999 as a journeyman lineman in Upper Great Plains. Before that I worked construction for three years and for East River Electric Power Cooperative in South Dakota for seven years. I started my current position in June 2016.
What is the most interesting thing you have worked on at WAPA? When I was a lineman in 2012, I helped in the recovery effort after Hurricane Sandy. The destruction was unbelievable. We were able to try to help those people get some part of their lives back together by providing them with electricity. It was the biggest effort that I've ever been involved in. I believe there were 100,000 linemen working on that project. It was interesting to work with so many groups of linemen from different parts of the country.
What do you wish people understood about your job and the work you do? I wish people would understand that my work here is to help people do their jobs successfully and safely. We're here to support them and to make their job easier, if at all possible. I'd also like people to know that Safety is available for them at any time of the day. Just give us a call.
Tell us something about yourself we wouldn't find on your resume. I enjoy riding my Harley a lot. My wife and I go on weeklong motorcycle trips, which I enjoy. They let me forget about everything and just think about the road.
How is what you do tied to WAPA's mission? What I do at WAPA is tied to our mission because it provides safety to all of the employees, from the office folks all the way out to the field, so they can do their jobs safely and so they can help WAPA's mission move forward.
