Utility officials said human error was a factor in an accident that hospitalized a Benton County (WA)volunteerfirefighter who was shocked by a power line this week.
Two employees didn’t realize a downed power line was still attached to a power pole when they cleared firefighters to put out a wildfire, according to theTri-City Herald(http://bit.ly/1gAh87p).
ELECTRICAL SAFETY ON THE FIREGROUND
The fallen 7,200-volt power line hung about four feet above the ground but sparked a fire in a wood pile shortly before 8 a.m. Wednesday. A 22-year-old firefighter was shocked unconscious after crews were cleared to fight the fire and he sprayed water from a can on the flames.
Three other firefighters used a defibrillator to quickly revive their downed colleague.
Read more athttp://bit.ly/1gAh87p.
For more on electrical hazards on the fireground, considerElectrical Hazards: Is Your Department Prepared?,UNDERSTANDING ELECTRICITY AND ELECTRICAL DANGERS, andConstruction Concerns: Electrical Service Hazards.
