A REFE RENCE

GUIDE FOR
EMERGENCY
RESPONDERS
Safely Managing
Electrical Hazards
 INTRODUCTION
As an emergency responder, you are
usually first to arrive at often dangerous
situations that require immediate action.
WHEN ELECTRIC EQUIPMENT IS
This has the potential to put you at risk for INVOLVED IN ANY EMERGENCY
injury from downed wires and electrical INCIDENT, PLEASE CALL YOUR
fires resulting from storms, traffic accidents FIRSTENERGY UTILITY
and other causes. IMMEDIATELY AND PROVIDE
FirstEnergy recognizes your valuable role THE FOLLOWING:
protecting the public by securing areas
until we can make necessary repairs or • Contact information
de-energize equipment. Because your • Pole identification number,
safety is our top priority, we urge you to if available and located out
exercise extreme caution when responding of harm’s way
to any emergency involving electricity.
• Closest address or nearest
We know that understanding the potential cross street
dangers posed by electrical equipment and
managing them correctly makes everyone •N  ature of emergency
safer. Toward that goal, this guide will
help ensure you respond safely to various
•O  ther relevant information
situations you may encounter before we
can arrive quickly and safely at the scene.

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 THE ELECTRIC SUPPLY SYSTEM

Power Plant

Transmission
Lines

Neighborhood
Substation
Transformer Main Feeder
(Overhead Service) Lines

Transformer
Neighborhood (Underground Service)
Distribution Lines
Distribution Lines

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 ELECTRICAL SAFETY BASICS NEVER ATTEMPT TO
 lectrical shock is received when
E DISCONNECT ELECTRICAL
electrical current passes through body SERVICES
• Severity of shock depends on • Call your FirstEnergy utility immediately
– Path of electric current through body • Never cut power lines
– Amount of current flowing through • Never try to remove electrical meters
body, measured in amps – This can be extremely dangerous and
– Duration of current through body cause serious injury or death
• Never attempt to open or enter a
• Remember, low voltage does not mean
manhole or vault (an underground room
low hazard
providing access to electrical equipment)
– More people are killed from 120/240 until you’re sure it’s been de-energized
volts than any other voltage
• Never touch or try to move power lines
• Standard-issue protective gear does not
insulate you against electric shock
• Electric shock and burn injuries may
include internal tissue damage that is
not immediately apparent
– Ensure victims receive thorough
medical attention

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 SAFETY ON THE SCENE

APPROACHING SITE PARKING RESPONDER VEHICLES

• Examine your surroundings • Position response vehicles two full
– Identify overhead lines, wire ends, spans, or three poles, away from
leaning poles and sagging lines damaged lines or equipment
– Treat all utility lines as high voltage and • Don’t park over manholes, vaults or
assume all lines are energized subsurface enclosures
– Keep yourself, others and equipment
at least 30 feet away from downed BEWARE OF HAZARDS – THINGS MAY
power lines and electrical equipment NOT BE AS THEY APPEAR
until utility representatives arrive to • Don’t assume a wire isn’t energized just
de-energize lines because it’s not sparking
o Always maintain maximum possible • Never assume a phone or coaxial cable
clearance line isn’t energized
• If power lines or electrical equipment – It’s possible an energized power line
are involved in incident, call FirstEnergy nearby could be touching the phone or
immediately cable line, energizing it
– Secure area and keep public at least – What you think is a phone line could be
30 feet away a power line
• There may be hazards you can’t see
– A downed line could be hidden by
vegetation or there could be an
energized, downed line nearby

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 OVERHEAD WIRES AND EQUIPMENT

KEEP ALL PEOPLE, VEHICLES, IF EQUIPMENT CONTACTS

MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT, A POWER LINE
TOOLS AND OTHER OBJECTS • Equipment should be considered energized
A SAFE DISTANCE FROM
• Call FirstEnergy immediately
ENERGIZED OVERHEAD POWER
LINES AND EQUIPMENT • If you can do so safely, move equipment
away from power line
• Consider equipment’s proximity to lines
when fully extended and use a spotter to • If equipment cannot be moved, stay put
help guide placement • Warn others to stay away until
OSHA Minimum Approach Standard FirstEnergy gives the all-clear
VOLTAGE DISTANCE (in feet)
• If fire or other danger forces you
from equipment, use step potential
0-50 kV 10 procedure described on pages 16 and 17
50-200 kV 15 to exit vehicle safely
200-350 kV 20
350-500 kV 25
500-750 kV 35

NEVER USE A SOLID WATER STREAM

TO FIGHT FIRES NEAR OVERHEAD
POWER LINES BECAUSE THE STREAM
CAN ACT AS A CONDUCTOR
• If water must be used, use only mist
or spray

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 TYPES OF OVERHEAD EQUIPMENT

Sub transmission circuit

Open fuse

Distribution circuit

Closed fuse
Transformer
Fiber optic
Street light

Open Style Fuse Cutouts

An open fuse does not always mean
electricity is off. Consider ALL wires
as energized.
Electric service wire

Cable wire

Telephone wire

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 USE EXTREME CAUTION NEAR DOWNED POWER LINES

• Secure area – keep yourself and public

at least 30 feet away from downed power
lines
– Downed transmission lines require at ENERGIZED CONDUCTIVE
least 100 feet of clearance ITEMS MAY MATERIALS
• Never touch or attempt to move downed INCLUDE: Metal
lines Water
Vehicles
• “Potential,” as used with electric Fences Human Body
current, indicates a difference in voltage Ladders Smoke
– Since electricity flows from higher voltage Trees Wood
to lower voltage, a person whose body People Rope
connects those points will become the
path for the current to flow
• Avoid indirect touch potential, which can
occur when an energized line causes
other conductive materials to be energized

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 AVOID STEP POTENTIAL
• Created when current from a downed line • A person’s legs make better conductor
makes direct contact with ground than ground
• Can seriously injure or kill someone who • By walking across affected area,
is walking near the point where energized emergency responder could have
wire makes contact with ground each foot in different voltage zone
• As electricity flows through the soil, the • Fatal charge could travel up one leg and
voltage dissipates with distance away down another to area of lesser voltage
from point of contact

IN STEP-POTENTIAL SITUATION: Don’t allow person inside energized

vehicle to touch car and ground at
same time.
Feet stay in contact
Instruct passenger to pin feet together and
hop out, then hop or shuffle to safety.
Keep both feet together and hop
away from the electricity source.

Keep safe
Or move away by shuffling feet, heel to distance
toe, so neither foot loses contact with
the other and the ground. (30 feet)

Person should not run or take large steps.

Demonstrate procedure from a distance.
Heels don’t pass toes.

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 POTENTIAL HIGH-RISK SITUATIONS

VEHICLE-POLE ACCIDENTS TRANSFORMER FIRES

• Do not approach, enter or come in contact • Do not open or enter switch cabinets
with vehicles that may be energized or pad-mounted transformers
• Secure area – keep yourself and public at – Equipment contains live electrical
least 30 feet away from downed power lines components and coming in contact
– Downed transmission lines require at with them could result in death
least 100 feet of clearance • Call FirstEnergy immediately
• Call FirstEnergy immediately • Let transformers burn until otherwise
instructed by utility personnel
• Instruct victim to drive vehicle away from
power line if this can be done safely
SUBSTATION FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS
• If vehicle cannot be moved, instruct • Evacuate area and keep everyone as far
occupants to stay put until FirstEnergy away as possible from the substation
personnel give all-clear
• Let it burn – burning electrical equipment
– Staying in vehicle is best protection is already ruined and will be replaced
against electric shock • Contact FirstEnergy and wait for our
• If person must exit vehicle, refer to step personnel to arrive
potential procedure on pages 16 and 17 – Never attempt to enter substation
without utility personnel present
EXCAVATION INCIDENTS • Electrical equipment contains oil
• Use extreme caution around excavation sites – Be alert for explosions and toxic smoke
• Wiring, equipment and people may be • Protect nearby area to keep fire from
energized spreading
• Do not touch anyone or anything that is
in contact with electricity
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 VAULT FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS
• Call FirstEnergy immediately • Do not enter vault without using self-
• Secure scene and prohibit entry contained breathing apparatus (SCBA)
• Do not enter vaults without FirstEnergy • Do not touch any electrical equipment
personnel on site inside vault
– Vaults can explode more than once

EMERGENCY RESPONDER TIPS –

DO’S AND DON’TS
DO DON’T
• Keep hands off electrical systems • Let a sense of urgency lead to hasty
• Communicate information from the field actions that might result in injury or death
to FirstEnergy immediately • Touch a person or object in contact with a
• Identify all overhead power lines and downed wire or attempt to remove wire
electrical equipment upon arrival at • Ever attempt to disconnect electrical
incident scene service
• Assume all wires are energized and • Assume a phone line or coaxial cable isn’t
dangerous energized
• Ensure all equipment is kept a safe • Expect your protective gear to insulate
distance from overhead lines you against electric shock
• Ensure bystanders keep a safe distance • Advise people trapped in a vehicle that’s
away from incident scene in contact with an electric wire to exit the
• Allow substation or transformer fires vehicle unless absolutely necessary to
to burn, evacuate area, protect nearby ensure their safety
exposures • Try to open or enter a manhole or vault
until you’re sure it’s been de-energized
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 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This guide and other helpful resources
for emergency responders are available
by visiting www.firstenergycorp.com/
emergencyresponder and include:
Safety and the Emergency Responder
Presentation
Covers topics such as electricity basics,
emergency procedures and keeping safe
around electricity, and includes information
about FirstEnergy’s electrical system

FirstEnergy Service Restoration Process Video

Details the steps FirstEnergy takes to safely
and efficiently restore power after an outage

 lectricity – Recognizing and Avoiding the

E
Hazards Video
Helps emergency responders understand and
learn to safely manage the dangers posed by
electrical equipment
Facilitator Guide for Emergency Responder
Trainers
Provides the information and guidance needed
to help deliver effective training sessions

Emergency Responder Quiz: Questions

and Answers
Can be administered as a useful knowledge
check to gauge training effectiveness and help
plan future instruction

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Produced by FirstEnergy’s Communications and Marketing Department.
COMM8229-08-16-AI-NS
FORM X-4455 (10-16)