FirstEnergy Corp.'s electric company Mon Power is set to bring its live wire electrical safety trailer to the State Fair of West Virginia in Lewisburg. The trailer, featuring 7,200-kilovolt power lines, will provide demonstrations on electricity's power, recognizing dangerous conditions, and maintaining safety around power lines and electrical equipment.
The trailer and an information booth will be located at 947 Maplewood Ave., from August 12-16, with daily demonstrations at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Jim Myers, Vice President of First Energy's West Virginia Operations, stated: "Safety is a core value for our company, and this is a great opportunity at one of the state's largest events to educate people of all ages and backgrounds about how to stay safe and avoid accidental contact with power lines and electrical equipment."
The trailer includes common neighborhood electrical equipment such as power lines, transformers, overhead-to-underground systems equipment, and sample homes receiving both types of service. Powered by a generator, it allows Mon Power crews to demonstrate the importance of staying safe around live wires in a controlled environment.
Trained facilitators will show common causes of power outages like animals contacting equipment or tree branches falling on lines. They will also highlight hazards first responders face when approaching vehicles that may be in contact with live wires.
Additionally, crews will emphasize avoiding contact with electrical lines when using household objects such as ladders, kite strings, and shovels. Demonstrations will simulate contact between objects and the trailer's power lines to illustrate the dangers vividly.
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 FirstEnergy's public safety website.
The State Fair of West Virginia drew 185,000 attendees last year and is celebrating its 99th year in 2024. More information can be found at statefairofwv.com.
Mon Power serves approximately 395,000 customers across 34 West Virginia counties. Follow Mon Power online at mon-power.com or on social media platforms X (formerly Twitter) @MonPowerWV and Facebook at facebook.com/MonPowerWV.
FirstEnergy operates one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems through its distribution companies across Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland, and New York. Its transmission subsidiaries manage around 24,000 miles of transmission lines connecting the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com or on X @FirstEnergyCorp.
News Media Contact: Will Boye (301) 790-6420; Investor Contact: Gina Caskey (330) 761-4185