Quick Start Guide Electric Utilities

SECTION 03: KEY SAFETY MESSAGES

Incidents

• A mother, her twin sons, and another child were electrocuted when they stepped into a puddle with a downed power line that was damaged due to high winds in a hurricane. The woman and her 11-year-old twins were walking in their neighborhood with a 14-year-old friend of the twins and the family dog. Strolling ahead of their mother, the boys did not notice a submerged power line in the murky water; they and the dog were instantly electrocuted when they walked into the puddle. Seeing the children collapse, the mother ran into the puddle and was also electrocuted. • Two men riding in a car along a rural road spotted a small brush fire alongside the road. They stopped to investigate and decided to extinguish the fire. As the driver went to get a fire extinguisher, the 32-year-old passenger died after he stomped on a downed 7.2 kV line lying in the road, believing it was a burning flame. These tragic incidents may have been prevented if the victims had known to be alert for downed electric lines and had been aware of the hazards associated with downed lines. Public Safety Communications Programs and messages can educate the public about such hazards.

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Developing a Public Safety Communications Program