Electrical
Emergencies
If
an electrical emergency occurs, it's important to know how to
respond. Thoughtful action is the best strategy for any
electrical emergency
Electrical Contact Accidents
If someone
comes into contact with an energized wire or power line, do not touch
the victim until you are sure the current has been turned off - you
could become part of the circuit and be injured or killed.
Although your first instinct may be to grab the person and remove him
or her from the source of the current, this type of hasty action could
cost you your life.
Unplug the device or cut power
at the service panel first.
If you can't turn the power off, use a nonconducting tool, such
as a rope or wooden stick, to move the person, then call for
help. Make sure you don;t complete a circuit between two wires or
between one wire and the ground.
If the victim is touching a power line, stay clear and call for
help.
When you are sure the power has been turned
off, call for emergency assistance. If the victim isn't
breathing, administer CPR immediately. After four to six minutes,
oxygen deprivation can cause brain damage. Continue CPR until
medical help arrives or until the victim begins to breath on his or her
own.
If the victim is in shock, loosen clothing and keep him or her
horizontal and warm. Burns should be treated only by medical
professionals.
Always seek medical help for an electrical
contact accident, no matter how minor it appears. Electricity
burns from the inside out, so injuries might not be visible. In
addition, the heart can be affected several hours later.
Electrical Fires
- If possible, unplug the
device or shut off the ppower at the main service panel.
- Never use water on an
electrical fire - use a CO2 fire extinguisher if the fire is
small.
- When calling 911, be sure to
tell the dispatcher it's an electrical fire.
Downed Power
Lines 
- Report downed power lines to your electric company
immediately.
- Never let anyone touch or drive over a downed line -
even experienced utility personnel can't tell if a line is energized
just by looking at it.
- Avoid touching anything a downed line is
contacting. Remember that the area around a downed line,
including soil, equipment or other objects, could also be energized.
- If a downed line comes in contact with a vehicle,
instruct the driver to stay in the vehicle until help arrives.
- If there is an immediate danger of a vehicle fire,
the driver should
jump out of the vehicle, landing with both feet together and avoiding
touching both the car and the ground at the same time. The driver
should then shuffle away from the vehicle without raising his or her
feet.
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