Linemen vs. Firemen

[hotwiretamer]

Here's one that should be discussed while your at it.
The firemen will almost always get to a vehicle accident before linemen do. If a power has been involved there could be downed wires laying across the vehicle with someone inside.
Needless to say a fire could be involved.
Do you think they will standby and watch the victim burn or try to get them out. The answer is obvious.
What should the power company say on this point. Your damned if you do, and damned if you don't.
Perhaps they should at least be informed of the dangers.
The Old Lineman

We have actually told the FD in a life or death situation they can call dispatch and they will open the circuit. All of our subs in town are now SCADA inabled, and most of the subs out of town are too.

[loodvig]

I was sent on a 'pole hit' call one day. As I rolled up I could see the fuse was blown and the door was open. At the pole they had the people out and there was some #6 copper down on the car. Then I spot one rescue guy with class 2 rubber gloves on without leather covers. I ask about them and he shows them to me. They had never been tested and one thumb has some tape on it! He said they came on the used rescue truck when they got it!

Another no power call. I was near the sub so I went there first and the breaker was in and holding. 300 yards down the road is 13KV Hendrix down and burning up the road. There is a fireman shoveling dirt on the burning wire! I backed up and opened the breaker. I asked the Dep Chief about it latter and he said it's OK because his man was not grounded!

[Trbl639]

I can't even remember what caused his death about 4 years ago, but in Wichita, a fireman either cut a meter loop free at a burning house or some like that with a trouble shooter just a minute away. Then all the big write up of how he gave his life to save other, when it was killed his ass through stupidity.

Similar deal around here Years ago.......Vol. fireman was dragging a 7620 phase out of the road where a car hit a pole.........he lived, but lost both legs if I recall...bit write up in the paper about how he was Saving Lives!! BTW, the folks in the car had gotten out of the car on their own and were fine!!

[rcdallas]

There is an old video floating around somewhere that I was shown awhile back where I believed in happened in New York in the eighties.

Car hit pole, hot 3 phase laying about head height where all the first responders were. A utility man showed up on the scene during all the chaos and didn't know if the line was still energized from I remember he was trying to buzz the line on the end of his shotgun but was having a hard time listening to it.

Minute later a EMT made contact.

I'm sure some of you know what video I'm talking about.

[Electriceel]

Fire dept. used to pull meters, and didn't seem to understand the safety factor involved, so now they are not allowed to pull meters. They have to wait for the utility to get there.
Couldn't seem to grasp the idea of CT meters.
Also they do have permision to call out operations center, and a feeder can be de-energized.

[hotwiretamer]

There is an old video floating around somewhere that I was shown awhile back where I believed in happened in New York in the eighties.

Car hit pole, hot 3 phase laying about head height where all the first responders were. A utility man showed up on the scene during all the chaos and didn't know if the line was still energized from I remember he was trying to buzz the line on the end of his shotgun but was having a hard time listening to it.

Minute later a EMT made contact.

I'm sure some of you know what video I'm talking about.

I watched this video years ago. Very distirbing, but definitely hits home. I have also seen an edited virsion that don't drive it home like the original. I have looked around to find the unedited version, with no luck. If anybody knows where I can find this video let me know! We have a lot of new lineman that could benefit from this video as a "wake up call".

[Pootnaigle]

Years ago just after the world discovered PCB's and their adverse affect on it, A 69 kv potential transformer blew up in one of our substations. It litterally launched the damn thing. When I arrived they were on the scene and had cut the substation lock with bolt cutters and had water hoses run everywhere about to hose the core down. I asked em to please stop because the clean up would have taken many many days.I asked them to use chemical filled fire extinguishers or just let the damn thing burn its self out. It was laying in the substation bay on rocks with no flammable material anywhere near it. They'd hose it down with a FE and within minutes it would reignite.Took quite a while to get it out.Those guys were determined not to leave until it was completely out even though as I said it was laying in a bed of rock nowhere near anything flamable.I kinda wondered afterwards if someone like myself hadnt of happened by that they would have created a more dangerous situation than they were originally sent to bring under control, and then would have left leaving that sub station open to the public. Ive often seen them cause more damage with water and axes than the fire they were sent to put out would have.I spoze up north where theres lottsa hi-rise bldgs it takes a herioc fellow to be a fireman but here any idiot will do.

[Lineman8641]

There is an old video floating around somewhere that I was shown awhile back where I believed in happened in New York in the eighties.

Car hit pole, hot 3 phase laying about head height where all the first responders were. A utility man showed up on the scene during all the chaos and didn't know if the line was still energized from I remember he was trying to buzz the line on the end of his shotgun but was having a hard time listening to it.

Minute later a EMT made contact.

I'm sure some of you know what video I'm talking about.

I saw one very similar to that one and it may be the same. I believe the one I saw was in North Carolina. You could see the crew there and the EMT's working on the driver of the car. Then the EMT made contact either by standing up or moving into it somehow and he just dropped. Then it was total confusion on the scene.

[Koga]

I cant remember where I found it , but it does show both respondin and why some shouldn't. Guess which is which. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=0c9_1297800405

Koga

Oh yeah it was on here.

[Jeatroubleshooter]

There is an old video floating around somewhere that I was shown awhile back where I believed in happened in New York in the eighties.

Car hit pole, hot 3 phase laying about head height where all the first responders were. A utility man showed up on the scene during all the chaos and didn't know if the line was still energized from I remember he was trying to buzz the line on the end of his shotgun but was having a hard time listening to it.

Minute later a EMT made contact.

I'm sure some of you know what video I'm talking about.

would like to see this video??? can you tell me where to search