Eversource has introduced to western Massachusetts equipment that can more quickly restore power to customers in the event of a downed or damaged utility pole.

Rapid Pole technology was launched in New Hampshire 13 months ago and rolled out in this state about a month ago. It allows Eversource crews to address broken pole trouble spots in as little as 30 minutes.

“One of the beauties of the device is its simplicity,” said Ryan Kulbacki, supervisor of response specialists for Eversource in New Hampshire.

Rapid Poles, which are battery-operated hydraulic units, are attached to single-axle tactical-trailers that are designed to get to trouble spots quickly. The pole and transformer feeds high-voltage power back into the system. A pole can telescope as high as 48 feet and is capable of holding up to 3,000 pounds of vertical weight.

Rapid Pole prototypes have been in the works for at least two years. Kulbacki explained Rapid Pole is the brainchild of his manager, Tim McHugh, who reportedly came up with the idea during an outage in a heat wave.

Kulbacki said a downed and damaged pole starts a laborious process of getting a crew and new pole to the site with a digger. Dig Safe — a private, not-for-profit notification center that collects information about excavation projects and notifies the appropriate member utilities in the excavation area — must also be contacted.

“That process can take several hours,” Kulbacki said. “Once [a Rapid Pole] is on site, it can be set up in probably 15 minutes or so. You can actually save hours of restoration time, depending on the situation.”

There are 17 Rapid Pole trailers across Eversource’s territory, according to spokesperson Priscilla Ress. Eversource covers approximately 4 million customers in 149 towns in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut. Rapid Pole is expected to be rolled out in eastern Massachusetts by January or February.

Kulbacki said the areas most effected by downed or damaged poles tend to be those with higher populations, whether that density is the result of full-time residencies or seasonal spikes like Tilton, New Hampshire, and other tourist spots experience. He said more people means higher volumes of traffic, increasing the likelihood of vehicles leaving the roadway and striking poles.

Kulbacki mentioned Eversource is happy to share information about the Rapid Pole technology with other utility companies.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.