Oh no, a PSE power outage!

On September 12th, 12:30 PM all OfficeXpats small rooms are booked, including the large Event Room. Mission Control has a legal deposition in progress. Members in the Event Room are online with colleagues.  Joseph is on the AM shift at the Ambassador desk. Dave is already in the office ready for his afternoon shift. Ervin, another ambassador, walks in the door to do his own work just as the power goes out.

PSE estimates a possible restoration of power in 2-3 hours! Ervin offers to be a backup Ambassador while Dave texts Jason and Leslie. Joseph assures members, “Our Internet is on fiber optic and will remain online. Estimated power back on around 2:00. Everything is fine.”

Well, not quite fine. Jason communicates with Dave that the three UPS units (uninterrupted power supplies) have around 30 minutes of power, then the modems will go off-line and Wi-Fi goes down.

Plan B is to fire up the OfficeXpats inverter generator stored out on the deck, then run extension cords from the deck to the server room in the hallway, and locate and plug in the UPS unites to the generator. No one can remember when—or if—we ever had to do this before, other than tested as a proof of concept. 

Thirty minutes later, at 1pm, the power is still out so it’s time for plan B. Joseph and Dave gas up the generator, run extension cords through the office to the server room, and with phone-flashlights they crawl round the electronics rack in the dark room (more like a big closet) looking for the right plugs for the three UPSs.

Success!

The generator starts firing away away and keeps the Wi-Fi online. Legal counsel in Mission Control continue their deposition without a hitch. The Event Room meeting with online participants continues uninterrupted. A little before 2:00 PM power comes back on. The real-life use of the OfficeXpats Emergency Power And Comms Management System (OEPCMS) is a success!

Thank you to the local heroes, Joseph, Dave, and Ervin.