Met-Ed line crews recently showcased their live-wire safety demonstration at the PA Fire Expo, an event hosted by the Lancaster County Firemen’s Association at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The expo is a premier trade show for first responders, featuring the latest equipment and rescue techniques.
“Met-Ed has been great, offering to come here and show our first responders how to stay safe around electric wires with their safety trailer,” said Jacque Creamer, Chairperson of the PA Fire Expo. Although not all of the 10,000 visitors witnessed Met-Ed’s four safety demonstrations, Creamer believes those who did will share crucial information about electrical hazards with their peers. “If we save one life, it’s worth it,” he added.
Met-Ed’s custom-built safety trailer highlights both visible and hidden dangers of electricity that first responders may encounter. These scenarios include aluminum ladders contacting live wires, car doors energized by fallen wires, and metal shovels striking underground power cables.
Tim Rahn, Manager of Operations for Met-Ed’s York region, emphasized the importance of assuming all downed power lines are live and dangerous. “It’s second nature to want to rush in to help victims in a car crash, but everyone needs to assume that any wire on the ground is live and energized. They need to stay at least 30 feet away – about the length of a school bus,” he said.
Rahn also provided simple steps for keeping firefighters safe from overhead power lines: surveying incident scenes for overhead or fallen power lines upon arrival; parking emergency vehicles as far from electric lines as possible; and using a spotter to ensure ladders and aerial equipment remain a safe distance from lines when fully extended.
Brian Kriebel, Captain of Upper Salford Township Fire Police in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, shared his experience with downed power lines at various fire and vehicle accident scenes. “The one thing I don’t understand is how the electricity gets into the ground,” he remarked.
Rahn explained that electricity seeks a path to enter the ground, making any spot where live wires lay on the ground highly dangerous. “I learned today I never want to mess around with power lines,” Kriebel concluded.
These safety trailer demonstrations are part of FirstEnergy’s “Stop. Look. Live.” corporate safety campaign aimed at educating the public about electrical hazards. For more safety tips and videos, visit Stop. Look. Live. (firstenergycorp.com).
