Who gets the utilities???

[acsjwvfd]

On your first-in apparatus, who shuts off the utilities? Should it be the firefighter or officer when making the initial size-up? Also, how many personnel are trained to pull electric meters?

[Adze39]

Originally posted by acsjwvfd
Also, how many personnel are trained to pull electric meters?

I don't know...how many employees does Northeast Utilities have out on the road?

We don't pull meters, we leave that to the professionals.



To answer your questions:

who shuts off the utilities?

We don't have a designated person

Should it be the firefighter or officer when making the initial size-up?

If you are going to send someone to shut off the utilities and you only have one officer on scene, that officer needs to be running the show...he should send someone to do it.

how many personnel are trained to pull electric meters?

none!

How many will be trained in the future?

none!

[cellblock]

None of our people pull meters. The most that happens is that we will look for the fuse panel and shut off the main for the house there. But meters and lines coming from the poles to the house is the responsibility of ENTERGY, our local power company.
I hope this answers your question.
cellblock

[tribe9a]

Depts in our area have recently recieved a letter from PECO our local electric compamy requesting that fire depts stop the practice of pulling meters. They shared the fact that in the last two years several times as their trained and properly dressed employees were pulling meters for replacement an arc occured that caused flash burns to the workers. Thats good enough for me, we call the utilitiy co and have them do it, we also turn off the main breaker to the house in the mean time.

[CALFFBOU]

As a Company Officer, and doing a lap around
a house, I will flip the MASTER ONLY.

Why? Because if the other circuits shorted, then
you can narrow down your origin.

Lastly, I have never had to pull a meter. I
might be missing something, but I dont see the
need for that.

[FiftyOnePride]

No one pulls the meters, just the master. That job is left to either an officer, if there is more then one and operations are being overseen adequetly, or it is a FF who knows what they are doing.

[Weruj1]

we call Toledo Edison for the meter removal.....will definetly shut down the main if needed.

[E229Lt]

Throw the main, leave the meter for the electric company.

[hwoods]

Or do we? I dunno. We have a member of our VFD who is a senior management person in the safety dept. of our local Electric provider. Even he does not pull meters.

[CALFFBOU]

Sometimes I will just stick my tongue on the switch and if I
get that funny taste, then I know which ones are hot...

[42VTExplorer]

Sometimes I will just stick my tongue on the switch and if I

I thought thats what you had Mini Me for?

[hwoods]

Originally posted by 42VTExplorer


I thought thats what you had Mini Me for?

Mini Me's current stature is a result of checking out too many live circuits. He was about 6 foot 8 when he finished high school, but instead of going to college on a basketball scolarship, he got a job as a circuit tester with Bou.

[hwoods]

Originally posted by acsjwvfd
On your first-in apparatus, who shuts off the utilities?

NOBODY. Utility control is a function of the first arriving Truck Company, or, if it arrives ahead of the Truck, the Rescue Company. The IC can direct someone else to do it, if necessary.

[SAFD46Truck]

In my Dept. the FF on the left side of the first in Truck is responsible for securing the utilities. (by throwing the switch, we let CPS pull the meters)

[FFFRED]

Just remember many new meters DO NOT disconnect the power when pulled from its mounting. They are basicly wired in parallel with the power and just measure the power running through the adjacent feeder cable.

FTM-PTB

[stretch13]

Our first in truck co. splits into two teams, one of the teams splits up, one sets up PPV and the other shuts off the gas and pulls the meter. We get trained going through our academy for meters. My first meter I "pulled" with an ax.

[Bones42]

My first meter I "pulled" with an ax

[firenresq77]

No meter pulling for us......... That's Edison's job. We'll pull the main on the panel, but that's it. And as Fred said, sometimes pulling a meter will not shut off all the power......... Somtimes you have people who bypass the meter to steal electricity.........

[stretch13]

As far as pulling the main, aren't you talking about going through the house and finding it first?
As far as the meters go, our utility company has three numeric codes that go on the front glass of the meter to indicate constant power supply, if we run into that or a pirated power supply we cut the incoming wires by the weatherhead at three fusible links. This is all part of our SOP's and training at the academy. I never really gave it much thought until I sae this post.

[SafetyPro]

Generally, the FF staffing the utility truck (which is usually first or second on-scene along with the ambulance) is responsible for disconnecting utilities. If they're unable to (such as when they assist the ambulance with a medical situation), the tillerman on the truck will be assigned to do it.

Also, we don't pull meters.