Power Line(S) Down PDF - Riverside Fire Authority

RIVERSIDE FIRE AUTHORITY FIELD OPERATING GUIDELINES POWER LINE(S) DOWN GUIDELINES FOR ALL INCIDENTS  Request utility company to respond.  Determine the type of electrical pro...

RIVERSIDE FIRE AUTHORITY FIELD OPERATING GUIDELINES POWER LINE(S) DOWN GUIDELINES FOR ALL INCIDENTS  Request utility company to respond.  Determine the type of electrical problem and give the dispatcher the proper location of the incident (pole number, house number).  Consider all down wires as “energized.”  Place apparatus away from “down lines and power poles.”  Locate both ends of downed wires.  Secure the area/deny entry.  Set up operational perimeter. Request Police or Sheriff’s Department for assistance when necessary. (The rule of thumb for establishing an electrical incident operational perimeter is to maintain a distance of one complete span of wire on either side of the fallen wires.) POWER LINES ON VEHICLES  Do not touch vehicle.  Have occupant remain inside the vehicle.  If occupants must leave the vehicle (fire or other threat to life) instruct them to open the door, not step out! They should jump free of the vehicle without touching vehicle and ground at the same time. SAFETY  Downed lines must always be considered energize with potentially lethal current.  Lines can reset and become “hot” or “energized” again by manual operation of a switch, by automatic re-closing methods (either method from short or long distances away); by induction where a de-energized line can become hot if it’s near an energized line, or through back feed conditions.  Power line tends to have “Reel Memory” and may curl back or roll on itself when down.  Use caution when spraying water on or around energized electrical equipment. Hose streams conduct current! Never spray directly into the power lines. Use a fog spray at the base of the pole. Your primary responsibility is to protect the surrounding area.  PCB hazards: smoke potentially fatal; avoid and contain pools of oil around transformers.