The Indian River Volunteer Fire Company hosted various Delmarva Power representatives to provide a community service tutorial to our volunteer emergency response personnel. This training initiative incorporated some of the following topics and included an on-sight demonstration. Outdoor Electrical Safety - Overview Electricity has become an integral part of our life. Whether at home, work or school, we rely on electricity to provide us with comfort and convenience throughout the day and night. Delmarva Power is committed to providing our customers safe, reliable power and to promoting awareness of the importance of acting responsibly and safely around electricity. That's why Delmarva Power offers these safety tips: • Never touch a power line. Touching a power line with any part of your body or any object such as ladders, tree trimmers, poles, ropes or kites can result in serious injury or death. Remember that electricity can move through conductive materials, i.e., water, metal, wood, aluminum, string and plastics. • Don’t work or play near power lines. When carrying long or tall items, such as ladders, scaffolding, tree saws and pool cleaning equipment, hold them parallel to the ground to avoid contact with power and other overhead wires. Before you raise them into the air, make sure they’re clear of any power lines. • Always wear shoes when using outdoor electrical equipment. • Maintain proper clearances. For your protection, certain critical clearances are required by law, and minimum of 10 feet must be maintained when working below or adjacent to power lines. • Teach children to be safe. Children should stay away from electric facilities such as substations, transmission towers, transformers and power lines. • Call before you dig. If you are planning to dig in your yard for any reason, call Miss Utility at 811 so that underground utility services can be identified to prevent damage and potential injury to you and others. • Call before you work on the outside of your home. In many states, the law requires you to call the owner of overhead power lines before working near them. In many locations, Delmarva Power is the owner. Call 1-800-375-7117 if you plan to work on your home (for example, remodeling, painting or cleaning the gutters) and overhead power lines are attached to your house. • Protect outside outlets. Make sure that your outside outlets have a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) to protect you from potential shock. • Practice generator safety. Make sure you take proper precautions when using a generator or installing outdoor holiday lighting. Power lines/Substations/Transformers Electrical currents exist in places other than electrical outlets. There are a number of electrical dangers to be aware of in the outdoors, including lightning and power lines. To avoid injury, pay attention to your surroundings both indoors and outdoors. • Check for power lines in trees before using a ladder (even a wooden ladder) or scaffolding. • Check for power lines running through or near trees before trimming branches. Call Delmarva Power to trim branches that interfere with power lines. • Install antennas away from power lines. • Never go near or touch a fallen power line. • Do not throw anything over or at a power line, substation, or transformer. • If a power line falls on your car, stay in the car and try to drive away. Do not touch the metal parts of the car. If you can’t drive, wait for help. Call 911 for assistance if you have a cellular phone. If you must get out of the car, jump clear without touching the car and the ground at the same time.