Canada-US blackout

One of the major issues an operator always faces is 100 percent hindsight in
a quiet back office a week, a month or a year later.

"operators who did not think" ? The alarm system had failed! What actual
issues/events/communications were occurring in the control room
at the time of the alarm system failure?

From Computerworld (November 24) - as taken from the task force report

"... a software program that gives operators visual and audible indications
of events occurring on their portion of the grid, began to malfunction.
As a result, ' key personnel may not have been aware of the need to take
preventive measures ..."
....

The statement below indicates the system board that was promised in planning
the control room design was deleted to save $'s.
Definitely a typical management shortcoming taking away the operators tools.

'this may have been, in part, the result of a failure to use modern dynamic
mapping and data sharing systems'

The operators were always convenient targets.

Re failure to trim trees - are there any forestry personnel who are utility
staff (not contractors) left at the utilities?

former Electrical Operator