Seriously, this post has nothing to do with football.
 
 
A transformer malfunction at the Firewheel substation (near N Garland and Campbell Avenues) threw most of the Firewheel neighborhoods into the dark Friday night. For those affected, it might be some small consolation to know that the city manager, director of GP&L, and numerous other city staff members were in the same situation.
 
GP&L crews were able to quickly isolate the problem but solving it was not as easy. Still, lights were back on relatively soon by rerouting trunk lines from other nearby substations. These large transformers are very expensive so it is hoped that the actual problem was something much more minor.
 
GP&L's reliability is extremely high, among the best in the country. Compared to most other utilities, incidents like this are rare. In the recent storms that blacked-out many areas across North Texas, sometimes for days, very few GP&L customers were affected and then only for a short period. (When I tried to buy a new sleeping bag for a camp out, many stores had very low stocks because there had been a run on sleeping bags as temperatures inside homes plugged to the 30's, but not in Garland.)
 
Another problem has not been fixed. One more annoying than the lights being out. When customers are able to find the trouble number to call, they are reaching a recording that says to leave a message with their address (and account number? How do find your account number with the lights out?). In reality, any major system disruption is automatically detected and crews dispatched. Reaching the recording probably means crews are already on the way. But really, it's impossible to leave a recording and feel "it's okay now."
 
Personally, I don't know the reason why that problem has been allowed to linger. I was told Friday that it is definitely being addressed. I'll get more information and post an update when I know the answers.