For years, Illinois Electric Cooperative lineworkers visited local schools to teach children about the dangers of downed trees and wires and how to be safe around electrical equipment. And while the message was sound, Randy Long, general manager of the Winchester-based co-op, worried that sometimes they weren't hitting the mark.

“I found that especially with the younger kids, the attention spans aren't always there, and they just zone out on you," he says.

Enter Buckey, a 3-foot-high remote-controlled bucket truck that pops wheelies, talks with a twang, winks and blinks and can reach speeds of up to 15 miles per hour. As the new face of the co-op's safety education program, Buckey—with an assist from his two handlers—is appealing to students in a fun and interactive way.

“The kids are just fascinated with Buckey right off the bat," says Long. “They're hanging on to every word he says."

Buckey's creator is Special Equipment Technician Sam Surratt, who started at Illinois EC as a journeyman lineman nearly 30 years ago. Surratt got the idea to build the truck after watching a state police officer at the Illinois State Fair operate a remote-controlled squad car with a robotic speaking voice.

Kids “really dug in," recalls Surratt. “I thought, 'You know what? We can do this.' So I called up friends of mine from all over the place, and I laid out my plan."

Surratt's friends also “dug in," lending their time, talents and equipment to bring Surratt's vision to life. Buckey's pit crew came from a variety of skilled trades—including a retired Hollywood special effects technician, a monster truck mechanic and a sign shop owner—and they worked nonstop in the month leading up to his debut at the Beardstown Fall Fun Festival Parade. Among their tools were chain saws, a computer numerical control machine, sanders, polishers and batteries. They also repurposed several parts, including a one-fifth-scale racing monster truck chassis, small tires and microphones.

“When all was said and done, we connected everything together with Gorilla Glue," Surratt says.

Surratt's heart was set on debuting Buckey at the parade, a fixture on his (and some of the crew's) schedule for nearly three decades. The group hustled Buckey to the parade a few minutes late, but “the crowd loved it, especially the kids," Long says.

Surratt, Operations Manager Ryan Little and Buckey now have a routine in schools. Little presents an age-appropriate PowerPoint with props, while Surratt usually stands in the back of the classroom or gym with a microphone.

Children's reactions to Buckey depend on their age, says Surratt. Those up to age 6 “will walk up and look right into his eyes and ask questions or tell Buckey stories about power outages and thunderstorms. The older ones know he's not real, but they have fun racing him."

While Buckey has a fun and lighthearted vibe, actual learning is taking place. The most popular question might be how birds and squirrels can stand on power lines and not get shocked.

This past year, kindergartners at Winchester Elementary School saw Buckey twice. To test whether his messages stuck with kids, the teachers revisited some of the lessons in the classrooms.

The answer is an unequivocal yes, says kindergarten teacher Megan Little, who happens to be the wife of the co-op's Ryan Little. “Especially the part about the birds and why you can't put electrical equipment in water. We really appreciate Illinois Electric for having this program that travels to area schools to teach kids the importance of electrical safety."

The co-op is leveraging Surratt's talents to liven up other electric safety lessons. Recently, he completed a driver's ed safety presentation on the dangers of downed power lines in the event of a car-versus-power-pole crash.

“The general public knows a little bit about electricity, but not near enough," Long says. “So we wanted to educate them on what's dangerous and what isn't and how to handle those situations. And it was more than just going to places and talking to people. We're ramping that up and making it better."

And for this 10,300-member co-op, Buckey is the ticket.

“He's just a blocky, boxy thing on these big tires. But the way he engages, he gets a lot of comments, and he's really done a lot of good stuff," Surratt says.