Cat "Rescue" from an electric pole--why are we doing this?

[dave29]

Ya want it down that bad just use a BB gun it'll come down

[DFW333]

Ya want it down that bad just use a BB gun it'll come down

Hell, use a high powered rifle and the situation will be resolved permanently.

[NYSmokey]

I have been pondering this cat on pole thing. And well.... here is my point of view. I would rather save the cat (or scare it down) then have a possible fire in the pole due to cooked cat.

On another note. My department uses wood ladders. Less electrical risk and suposedly if they get damaged they are easier to fix (or replace dono which).

and on my last note. Use a pike pole to prod the cat so it wants to go down. Last time i checked fiberglass dose not conduct electricity to well.

Sorry for any spelling or anything. Im on NyQuill and petting a cat who likes to walk across the keyboard.

If there is anything metal near the power lines, it can arc. I believe there have been cases of power arcing 10ft to an aluminum ladder. I noticed that you said LESS risk so you are obviously aware that there IS risk. Don't become complacent because it is a wooden ladder (it does have some metal on it).

Fiberglass is only effective if it doesn't have ANY contaminants on it (ie. soot). When was the last time you used a brand new pike pole on anything? The metal hook at the end will make the pike pole a nice lightning rod. It's this false sense of security that gets us hurt.

As for the pole fire, yeah it's not desirable but neither is putting a firefighter in harm's way to rescue an animal that will come down on its own eventually. Would this be covered under line of duty benefits if someone was to be injured or lose their life? Would anyone who advocates this specific cat rescue want to be the one to tell the family that their loved one is not coming home today? We lose over 100 firefighters a year due to a variety of different scenarios. Let's not add to the potential loss of life by doing things outside of our job description. We should know how to mitigate a pole fire incident and if we don't we have no business getting on the apparatus.

Stay safe

[waterboy1]

Hell, use a high powered rifle and the situation will be resolved permanently.

A 22 Rifle, bag of charcoal, a Weber Grill, Barbaque sause and Wa la, Supper. I have heard that cats taste like chicken.....

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

It is simple as 2 letters, P.R.

So it's OK to incur a LODD for your FD's public relations? This could be the most absurd comment ever posted on these boards. And that is saying something.

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

I have been pondering this cat on pole thing. And well.... here is my point of view. I would rather save the cat (or scare it down) then have a possible fire in the pole due to cooked cat.

On another note. My department uses wood ladders. Less electrical risk and suposedly if they get damaged they are easier to fix (or replace dono which).

and on my last note. Use a pike pole to prod the cat so it wants to go down. Last time i checked fiberglass dose not conduct electricity to well.

Sorry for any spelling or anything. Im on NyQuill and petting a cat who likes to walk across the keyboard.

1. Nobody will die at the pole fire.

2. Do not, for a minute, think that wood or fiberglass does not conduct electricity. It does. Are your wood ladders or tool handles covered with a product like varnish or oil? Conductor. Is there moisture in the wood (there is)? Conductor. There have been a hundred threads on here about the hot sticks the utulity companies use. They treat those like gold and they are inspected almost daily. Why? Because they can conduct electricity if they are not 100% uncontaminate. Your fiberglass tool handles are not constructed the same way as a hot stick and are not maintained in the same manner as a hot stick.

3. There have been 2 LODD in recent memory in NJ due to ladders coming into close contact with power lines. One in Newark and one in Jersey City. They happen, and they happen w/o warning.

4. I must've investigated 20 incidents in my career where experienced electricians or utility workers were seriously burned or killed when they screwed up on high voltage stuff they were working on. You don't have to be ignorant of the risk to be a victim.

5. If anyone taught you different than the above, especially number 2, they need to be slapped in the head.

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

There have been some excellent points made here.

For those who are thinking rationally.. a tip of the leather to you...

Those of you trying to justify sending a a $550K to $1 million+ piece of apparatus and the manpower to run it for a cat in a tree or on a pole and risking firefighter death and injury due to electrocution need to take a good hard look at your priorities!

If you have ever had the opportunity to attend FDNY Chief Frank Montagna's seminar called "routine emergencies can be deadly".. you would change your tune in an instant.

[hwoods]

Dickey,

Is there something you would like to tell us?

Tom, I think the answer is his Avatar.....

[fire0099881]

My point is firefighter safety no matter what you're doing.

I agree, firefighter safety should never be put in jeporady

[efd824]

I've done some electrical work on my days of for my buddies company. I have seen what 220 does to a pair of klein side cutters. You can be as careful as you want but things happen with electricity you have no control over. I say either come down or good bye kittty......

[whflhff]

I've done some electrical work on my days of for my buddies company. I have seen what 220 does to a pair of klein side cutters. You can be as careful as you want but things happen with electricity you have no control over. I say either come down or good bye kittty......

I wouldn’t say it quite like that, it’s physics not magic so we can control electricity. But, we also make mistakes and at the potential we are talking about here you probably won’t get even one chance, certainly not more than one. You point is, however, a good one.

[whflhff]

I have been pondering this cat on pole thing. And well.... here is my point of view. I would rather save the cat (or scare it down) then have a possible fire in the pole due to cooked cat.

On another note. My department uses wood ladders. Less electrical risk and suposedly if they get damaged they are easier to fix (or replace dono which).

and on my last note. Use a pike pole to prod the cat so it wants to go down. Last time i checked fiberglass dose not conduct electricity to well.

Sorry for any spelling or anything. Im on NyQuill and petting a cat who likes to walk across the keyboard.

I’m an electrical engineer, been working with electricity for 27 years. Most of what you said is wrong, wrong, wrong! I know George already covered this but it needs to be repeated.

1. Wooden ladders are not safer than aluminum ladders. Especially around these potentials.

2. Pike poles, made of no matter what material, are not safe around these potentials.

I’m not piling on, please don’t take this as a personal attack, but this it too important to let your post stand with out response.

Bill.

[AC1503]

I would not use a high powered rifle, since the bullet should easily pass through any cat and continue to strike something or someone. Numer 8 shot and a 410 ga. shotgun works good enough.

[johnfd86]

I’m an electrical engineer, been working with electricity for 27 years. Most of what you said is wrong, wrong, wrong! I know George already covered this but it needs to be repeated.

1. Wooden ladders are not safer than aluminum ladders. Especially around these potentials.

2. Pike poles, made of no matter what material, are not safe around these potentials.

I’m not piling on, please don’t take this as a personal attack, but this it too important to let your post stand with out response.

Bill.

Thanks Bill,
It is always good to hear from a professional in the field, but i still think two key elements have been left out of the equation:
1. This thread originated as an animal rescue. clearly not, the cat will come down the same way it went up if left alone.
2. Who cares about ladders and pole hooks, I'm more concerned with what electricity does to human flesh.

[NYSmokey]

Thanks Bill,
It is always good to hear from a professional in the field, but i still think two key elements have been left out of the equation:
1. This thread originated as an animal rescue. clearly not, the cat will come down the same way it went up if left alone.
2. Who cares about ladders and pole hooks, I'm more concerned with what electricity does to human flesh.

Maybe I'm missing something (sarcasm?) but what do you think is in contact with those ladders and "pole hooks" during rescue operations? Human flesh. As to what happens to human flesh when it comes into contact with electricity, it can vary. I'm no electrical engineer but I believe that the amps and volts will determine the damage. Don't forget what the electricity does to your heart and other vital organs.

[DeputyMarshal]

1. This thread originated as an animal rescue. clearly not, the cat will come down the same way it went up if left alone.

While there's no question that the cat would probably have come down on its own eventually, the issue being overlooked is that the chances of it being "left alone" are questionable. Who's going to babysit this situation to insure that one of the neighborhood kids (or adults) isn't going to try and improvise a rescue on their own after a day or two?

Like it or not, a cat in a tree (or on a pole) is going to be a magnet for well-intentioned but ill-prepared volunteer rescuers. If we can use our training and equipment to defuse the situation safely, we're just doing our jobs. If we play our cards right, we'll get a good drill out of the experience and some free PR to go along with it.

2. Who cares about ladders and pole hooks, I'm more concerned with what electricity does to human flesh.

No doubt. The article doesn't give too many details about the situation but it does indicate that the FD thought out the rescue carefully before starting. I, for one, am willing to give the benefit of the doubt that they thoughtfully weighed the risks versus benefits on this one and benefits came out ahead.

[johnfd86]

Smokey...you are correct..it was sarcasm..but truthfully i am in no position to pass judgement on the department that decided to go get the cat..I only know what i read and from my experience I am sure there is always more to a story than what the reporters put in print. When a citizen dials 911 they do so because they feel there is an emergency....sometimes we don't agree...but still have to make decissions on a course of action. That is most always left up to the person in charge...you can't always make everyone happy. I'm sure we can agree on this. I am sure the owner was thrilled to get her cat back.

[NYSmokey]

Smokey...you are correct..it was sarcasm..but truthfully i am in no position to pass judgement on the department that decided to go get the cat..I only know what i read and from my experience I am sure there is always more to a story than what the reporters put in print. When a citizen dials 911 they do so because they feel there is an emergency....sometimes we don't agree...but still have to make decissions on a course of action. That is most always left up to the person in charge...you can't always make everyone happy. I'm sure we can agree on this. I am sure the owner was thrilled to get her cat back.

Whew! You scared me there for a minute

[firemedic53]

Never mind cats, we got a call to come rescue a bird from a tree. After informing the caller that trees were where birds are suppose to be she explained it was an escaped exotic - colored thing from the house. Same answer though....the bird is on its own. 15 minutes later another call comes in - this time for a kid in a tree. We went....there's a 13 year old girl 6 feet up in a little maple and some kind of toucan-ish looking creature gazing down at us, happy as a clam. Fast foreward 10 minutes and we are driving away from a yard with one embarrased 13 year old, one ****ed-off mother and one happy bird, who presumably ended it's life cluthched in the talons of a local hawk, flapping towards the light........

And in case you feel bad for mom, shortly after this she burned the house down fixing her motorcycle in the living room. God, I love this job.

[Yankee750]

After reading this thread I brings to mind a call my department had over 30 years ago.(way before my time) We were punched out for get this...

A monkey in a tree. Yes a !#$#! monkey!!!

Apparently there was quite a turnout for the call since no one could figure out why there was a monkey in our little town in Western NY. They got there lights and sirens the whole way, and sure enough, there in the tree was a monkey. A couple of guys apparently tried to get it down but the monkey was not very happy and became agitated and did not come down. Eventually the monkey came down and I believe it was captured by animal control and brought the zoo or something. Now beat that one!!

As far as the cat goes, I would just call animal control and let them deal with. Babysit it, get it down or leave it. If there is a public danger because some idiot might climb the pole, let the cops babysit. they get paid a heck of alot more than a Volly firefighter. I had an unwritten rule when I was chief, I would not risk anyone's life for an animal!! I had firemen that wanted to go into a building with fire blowing every window to rescue a dog. They got mad when I would not let them in but guess what. I am not going to explain to someone's wife or husband, sorry he / she died trying to save a cat. Same goes for those animal rescues on the ice. Yes we have the suits but Ice-Rescue is extremely dangerous. Bambi got out there and Bambi can get back on his own. If not, we have dinner!!!