Do You Know What to Do?

By Mona Bartsoff, FortisAlberta

Every winter, hundreds of vehicles leave the road and collide with electrical power facilities like power poles and transformers. 

Knowing what to do could mean the difference between life and death. 

First, stay calm. Remain inside your vehicle and call for help. Wait in the vehicle until electrical workers arrive and give the all clear. Warn onlookers to stay clear and tell them the ground could be electrified. 

Electricity will spread out like ripples in water from the centre point of contact, though not necessarily in even rings. Each ring outward will have a decrease in voltage until it eventually drops to zero. If the ground is wet, voltages remain high over greater distances.

Anyone in the hot zone can get a fatal shock. This could happen, for example, by touching an energized source with your hand while your feet are on the ground, or simply walking on electrified ground. In either case, the difference in voltage from one extremity to the other causes electricity to flow through the body.

If possible, drive away until you’re at least 10 metres clear of the downed line to break contact. 

If your vehicle won’t move and there’s immediate danger from fire, fully open a door that’s away from fallen power line. Stand with both feet together on the door ledge, and then jump out and pull both arms in toward your chest. You must land with both feet together and not stumble. Never touch the vehicle and ground at the same time.

After landing, shuffle away keeping both feet close together, but not touching, and never let the heel of one foot move past the toe of the other. Alternatively, hop away by launching and landing with both feet close together. Short hops are safer to avoid stumbling or falling. Keep going until outside the 10 metre danger zone.

These are last-resort escape recommendations from electrical utilities for dire emergencies only. Use it at your own risk and always stay in the car wherever possible.