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Emergency Preparedness

Guide Book

ELECTRICAL SAFETY

Stay Away From Fallen Wires, They're Dangerous  

     Ice storms, high winds or fallen tree limbs can bring down power lines.  Even if a fallen wire seems dead, it can be dangerous.  So, don’t go near fallen wires, warn others to stay away from them and call your utility with the location of the fallen wires or report it to the local police as soon as possible.

     If a power line falls across your vehicle, stay inside until a member of our emergency crew removes the line.

     Remember that stepping out of your vehicle onto the ground could be fatal if the power line touching your vehicle is “live”.

     If you must get out because of fire, jump clear without touching the car and the ground at the same time.

Rescues and First Aid

     If someone inside a home or building receives a shock from a faulty appliance and is still in contact with it, don’t touch the appliance before unplugging it from the wall socket.

     If a person or vehicle touches an outdoor wire, don’t touch either the person or the vehicle.  Call 911 (Police/Fire) or the local utility to get help and get the power shut off.

     Once a victim is free from the power line or faulty appliance, have someone call 911 and begin appropriate first aid procedures.  

     If the victim is unconscious and not breathing or breathing erratically, use artificial respiration immediately.

     Every second counts!  Have someone call for an ambulance. Do not leave the victim unattended. Place an unconscious person gently on one side (St. John Ambulance recovery position) and don’t attempt to give him or her anything to eat or drink.

     If the victim is in shock, reassure and keep them warm but don’t apply heat.  Loosen clothing around the neck, chest and waist.  If the victim is thirsty, give sips of water, tea, coffee or other liquids but never alcohol.

     If the victim is burned, avoid handling the affected area.  Do not apply lotions, break blisters or remove burned clothing.  If possible, cover the burns including clothing with a prepared dry sterile dressing.  Where skin is blistering, bandage loosely, otherwise apply bandages firmly.  Don’t use gauze, cotton, wool or any other material that is likely to stick.

Electrical Fires

     If a fire starts in your home, get your family out of the house fast.  

     Never use water on fires involving electrical equipment or wires!  Unplug equipment if possible and use baking soda or a recommended fire extinguisher to douse the flames.

     Call the fire department from a neighbour's home.

Electrical Safety Hints for Children

     Keep away from outdoor areas marked with signs that say Danger or Danger High Voltage.  

     Look up before you climb a tree.  If there are hydro wires in or near the tree – don’t climb it! 

     Fly your kite in wide-open spaces, away from trees and power lines.  

     Stay out of open area and away from trees during a lightning storm.

     Stay in the car during a storm because the rubber tires stop electricity from passing through the body of the car.

     Turn off circuits when changing light bulbs

     Tell someone if you see a frayed electrical cord

Main Switch and Panel

     If your panel board uses fuses, always replace a fuse with the proper amount of amperes.  Never substitute a higher amp fuse where a smaller one is called for as it could pose a fire hazard.  Never change one in the dark or while standing on a wet floor.

     If you blow a fuse or throw a breaker by overloading a circuit, make sure that appliances on that circuit are turned off or unplugged before you replace the fuse or reset the breaker.

     Always use the right amperage fuse. Never replace a burnt out fuse with a coin, even as a temporary measure.  

     Either of these conditions could start a fire in the walls of the house.

     Check for rust on your fuse box caused by moisture seeping in.  It can corrode connections causing overheating and fire.

     Use ‘P’ fuses for general lighting circuits and circuits to appliances like water heaters, baseboard or portable heaters or stoves.

     ‘D’ fuses also have a built-in delay feature to handle the power surges that occur when heavy appliances are turned on.  They should be used for freezers, air conditioners, clothes dryers and electric furnaces.

Electrical Cord Care

     It is important to use cords properly and keep them well maintained.  Electric cords are insulated to cover and protect you from the electricity running through the wires inside.

     Where an appliance or tool is on, these wires are ”live” and could cause a shock upon contact with them.  

     Never use a tool or appliance with a frayed cord or where the insulation is nicked and wires are exposed.  

     Keep cords clean to prevent insulation from deteriorating.  

     Keep cords dry to reduce the risks of shocks.

     Don’t wind cords tightly around an object as the stress could cause the small wires inside to snap or break.  

     Never run cords under rugs.  It conceals cord damage which should be noticed and can cause the cord to overheat.

     Never break off the third prong of a plug.  The third prong (the round one) is a grounding wire put there for your protection. Rather than breaking it off from an extension or appliance cord to fit an older outlet, replace a two-prong outlet with a three-prong one and make sure the third prong is properly grounded.  It provides a ground path that helps prevent or minimize shocks.

     Never nail cords to the walls or floors.  It punctures the insulation and can short out the wires.  

     Don’t run cords behind radiators.  Heat damage to the insulation can result in the cord overheating.

     Avoid “octopus outlets”. Clusters of wires and plugs means your electrical system can’t cope with your energy needs.  It’s time to rewire and add circuits.