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EMCs
warn all parents and children:
to make sure they are not "like Mike"
By Terri Brown
Georgia EMC
Special to GwinnettForum.com
AUG. 6, 2002 - - The 42 electric membership corporations (EMCs)
in Georgia, including Walton and Jackson EMCs, are reaching out
to parents and children, warning them not to try and be "Like
Mike," referring to a new movie released July 3.
Terri
Brown |
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The debut of the film has raised a red flag with the EMCs in Georgia
as well as electric utilities from around the country.
In the film, a boy is electrocuted and given NBA "super powers"
when he climbs a tree and grabs a pair of basketball shoes hanging
from a power line. Just as he reaches the shoes, lightning strikes
a nearby pole, sending a jolt down the line that throws the boy
to the ground, which now holds the "energized" shoes.
"We're concerned about the message this film could send to
children," says Jim Wright, vice president, training, education
and safety, for Georgia EMC.
"Co-ops throughout Georgia work very hard during the year
to teach children about the hazards of power lines and to be aware
of the potential dangers associated with electricity."
Currently, the EMCs utilize formal training classes, printed materials,
community outreach, child education, and posted warning signs to
sound the safety alarm to help prevent injury or death from dangerous
activity around utility poles and wires.
Although the exact type of utility line used in the film is unclear,
the EMCs in Georgia cannot over-emphasize that power lines, substations
and other apparatus should be handled only by trained professionals
who have appropriate safety equipment.
The 42 EMCs in Georgia suggest the following safety tips to ensure
safety near power equipment:
- Assume all lines are energized and carrying electricity.
- Never climb a power pole or other electrical equipment.
- Look up and be aware of the location of overhead power lines
to avoid making contact.
- Check trees for overhead wires running near or through limbs
and branches before climbing. If lines are present, do not climb
the tree for any reason.
- If you see others climbing or playing around power equipment,
urge them to move away.
- Keep all kites and other objects away from overhead power lines.
If a kite does become tangled in electrical wires, make no attempt
to remove it.
Collectively, the 42 customer owned EMCs provide electricity and
related services to 3.7 million people, nearly half of Georgia's
population, across 73 percent of the state's land area. Georgia's
42 electric membership cooperatives now serve more customers than
any other state network of EMCs in the nation and employ 4,700 workers
in the state.
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Number
2.34, Aug. 6, 2002
