JAMESTOWN, Tenn. — Electrical workers have been working extremely long hours across Tennessee and the rest of the country after a winter storm snapped trees and power poles.
It's a dangerous job, which was illustrated by a video taken Monday night by Kenny Poore, a lineman for VEC in Jamestown.
He and other crews in counties on the Cumberland Plateau were out trying to restore power long into the night when he captured the scary moment that a power line that had fallen to the ground started sparking and popping with fire.
“This is why you never go near any downed lines of any kind. The ice acts as an insulator and doesn’t let the breaker see enough ground fault to trip; it sees it as load and creates a very dangerous situation,” he said in a post on Facebook.
Work crews know the dangers of working with electricity and they want to make sure the public knows as well. Here are some tips from VEC to keep you and your family safe:
If you see a downed power line:
- Always assume it's energized and dangerous
- Stay at least 35 feet away
- Don't try to move a downed power line
- Never drive over a downed line or through water or ice that may be touching a downed line
- Notify local authorities