GreyStone Power workers honored for heroics

Kevin Mitchell and Kim Palmer of GreyStone Power Corporation were recently honored by Georgia Electric Membership Corporation  (EMC) with a “Life Saving” Award. The award was presented in November at the Georgia EMC annual meeting in Duluth, Ga.

The GEMC Life Saving Award was established to recognize EMC employees across the state whose courageous and skillful actions helped someone in grave and immediate danger. The award was presented to Mitchell and Palmer in recognition for their heroic actions on Aug. 26. On that day, the pair were leaving the Mill Creek Substation in Paulding County when they came upon an accident. A motorcycle had run into the side of a pick-up truck as it was turning off of Mars Hill Road.

“We went down this hill on Mars Hill and saw a motorcycle all tore up on one side of the road and the rider in a ditch on the other side,” said Mitchell.

“Anytime you see anything out of the ordinary like that you’re scared about what you’re going to find,” said Palmer.

What they found was a badly injured motorcyclist. Fortunately, a paramedic was already on the scene. Mitchell and Palmer helped the paramedic by holding the motorcyclist’s head in an up-right position until additional medical personnel arrived. The motorcyclist was then air lifted to the hospital.

“It kind of shocked me,” said Mitchell.  “You’re just doing a standard job and you come across a guy on one side of the road and his bike on the other side.”

“I think that anybody would have done what we did in that situation,” said Palmer.

Palmer serves as an apparatus technician for GreyStone while Mitchell is a lineman. Combined, they have over 30 years of service with GreyStone Power.