Dalmatian90
01-27-2004, 10:21 AM
Interesting story from a friend, which reminded me to know who your local "go to guys" are or could be for different incidents.
Few weeks back a nearby FD got toned out for a MVA w/ wires down. My friend works for the telephone company as a lineman, and flipped his pager from our region's dispatch channel to the operations channel to monitor them -- especially since they were just a few miles down the road setting poles.
That town's paid ambulance crew arrived a couple minutes later and requested the electric company "Priority 1 -- patient in the vehicle, wires down on top of it."
My friend turned to his co-workers who were also listening in, "Let's go." They knew they were probably much closer than any of the electric crews in the area that day.
At least in my area (CT) the telephone company line crews have equipment and are trained to handle powerline emergencies if for nothing else than protecting themselves if an accident occurs on one of their jobsites when the power company isn't there.
So on this incident Telco showed up well ahead of the power company, and followed their emergency procedures to use their insulated boom (the aerial arm on their truck that drills holes & sets poles) to move the wire off the vehicle and secure it to the ground so the FD could safely do the extrication.
And listening to the call on my way to work that morning, I thought it was the electric company that had made amazing time!
Anyway, thought it was an interesting story to share of other resources to think about when pre-planning different scenarios. Now, the phone company isn't gonna dispatch themselves to handle powerlines down, but if you pass a line crew (the guys with the big trucks, not the little ones) on the way to an accident and find a major wires problem...you might be able to go back up the street and ask for assistance. Since they may have the tools & training to help, and would never know you needed help if you didn't ask.
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On an aside, my Dad was a lineman for Southern New England Telephone for 35 years. Nothing could bring a bigger grin to an 8 year old's face then when he'd sometimes come home in a company bucket truck...and the next morning before work or school you had done enough begging to get a ride in it :D
Few weeks back a nearby FD got toned out for a MVA w/ wires down. My friend works for the telephone company as a lineman, and flipped his pager from our region's dispatch channel to the operations channel to monitor them -- especially since they were just a few miles down the road setting poles.
That town's paid ambulance crew arrived a couple minutes later and requested the electric company "Priority 1 -- patient in the vehicle, wires down on top of it."
My friend turned to his co-workers who were also listening in, "Let's go." They knew they were probably much closer than any of the electric crews in the area that day.
At least in my area (CT) the telephone company line crews have equipment and are trained to handle powerline emergencies if for nothing else than protecting themselves if an accident occurs on one of their jobsites when the power company isn't there.
So on this incident Telco showed up well ahead of the power company, and followed their emergency procedures to use their insulated boom (the aerial arm on their truck that drills holes & sets poles) to move the wire off the vehicle and secure it to the ground so the FD could safely do the extrication.
And listening to the call on my way to work that morning, I thought it was the electric company that had made amazing time!
Anyway, thought it was an interesting story to share of other resources to think about when pre-planning different scenarios. Now, the phone company isn't gonna dispatch themselves to handle powerlines down, but if you pass a line crew (the guys with the big trucks, not the little ones) on the way to an accident and find a major wires problem...you might be able to go back up the street and ask for assistance. Since they may have the tools & training to help, and would never know you needed help if you didn't ask.
---------
On an aside, my Dad was a lineman for Southern New England Telephone for 35 years. Nothing could bring a bigger grin to an 8 year old's face then when he'd sometimes come home in a company bucket truck...and the next morning before work or school you had done enough begging to get a ride in it :D