Delmarva Power highlights dangers of of electric infrastructure ahead of summer storm season
SALISBURY, Md – Delmarva Power Wednesday, demonstrating the dangers of a downed power line, and interacting with the electric grid even if the power’s out.
Lineman stressed the need for the public to respect the dangers of their infrastructure, as electricity could still be in wires even if they are downed, or the area has lost power.
“Even if you think the power may be off, you can’t tell until we get someone out to check it,” said Delmarva Power Emergency Preparedness Director Jeff Emmons stressing the need for the public to contact Delmarva Power, who can send out a crew with the proper equipment.
“Our guys have a lot of safety equipment there, their gloves, their sleeves that cover their arms, covers their trucks, everything is insulated and grounded to kind of protect them while they touch the lines,” he said.
The demonstration also showed objects such as tree branches, metal, and even a hot dog, meant to simulate human skin, interacting with different levels of voltage to bring home the dangers that the equipment could have.
“The system is designed to shut itself off and protect from further damage to itself, it is not designed to protect you when you come in contact,” Emmons said.
The demonstration also showed the danger of wiring bypasses in converters, an illegal act that puts the person doing the crime and the lineman at risk when a system goes down.
“The thing that makes it so dangerous is if a meter’s pulled, it’s still energized and we wouldn’t know that. And also, if someone has a generator hooked up improperly on that side, which works both ways so that electric is going back to the transformer and putting that high voltage,’ said Senior Lineman Andrew Stevenson, adding “it could definitely kill someone.”
The utility says it’s important to remember that tree branches and other objects can still carry a current and to never place a ladder near what could be a conductive surface in the aftermath of a storm.
They say any outages can be reported on the Delmarva Power website, as well as information regarding any service disruptions.
