An employee at the Tyee Lake hydroelectric power station was injured on June 11 and flown to Wrangell for medical care.

“The patient was reported to be in stable condition at the time care was transferred to hospital staff,” Wrangell Fire Chief Jordan Buness said in a statement on June 15.

Neither the fire department nor the Southeast Alaska Power Agency, which operates the Tyee Lake facility, disclosed the nature or extent of the worker’s injury, or the worker’s name.

“No further information regarding the patient’s condition will be released out of respect for privacy,” Buness said.

“Our primary focus is our employee’s well-being, and we are heartened by their positive prognosis,” Robert Siedman, chief executive officer of the regional power agency, said in a statement on June 16.

The Occupational Safety and Health Section at the Alaska Department of Labor had not received any injury reports for the Tyee Lake hydroelectric power station as of Friday, June 19, according to the office’s chief of enforcement.

Accident reports are required only if the injury results in death or in-patient hospitalization, according to state law.

The Wrangell Volunteer Fire Department responded quickly to the accident call from the Tyee power station, which is on the mainland across from the southern end of Wrangell Island, about 45 air miles from town.

The department received the initial call at 9:39 a.m. on June 11 through the police department 911 dispatch system and used a member-owned aircraft to fly four emergency medical personnel to the work site. The aircraft and personnel were airborne 11 minutes after the call, Buness said, landing at Tyee’s remote airstrip.

Emergency personnel “conducted assessment and treatment, and prepared the patient for transport,” according to the fire chief’s statement, arriving in Wrangell about an hour after they landed at the airstrip.

They transported the worker to the hospital, arriving at the Wrangell Medical Center less than two hours after the initial call of the injury.

A total of 15 fire department members participated in the response in various capacities, including incident coordination, aviation support, emergency medical care, ambulance operations, communications and logistical support, Buness said.

“The incident underscored the value of ongoing training and interagency cooperation,” the fire chief said.

“Approximately one year prior to this event, WVFD personnel participated in a training exercise at the Tyee hydroelectric facility with SEAPA staff. The opportunity to become familiar with the facility and its unique operating environment helped strengthen preparedness,” Buness said.

“We are conducting a thorough review to determine the exact circumstances and identify any additional safety measures we can implement,” Siedman said of the June 11 accident.

The Ketchikan-based Southeast Alaska Power Agency operates the Tyee Lake hydro power project for Wrangell and Petersburg, and the Swan Lake hydro power station serving Ketchikan.