Area fourth graders will participate in a five-part program demonstrating the dangers of electricity and the technical skills required to be a lineman, hosted by South Plains Electric Cooperative. The program will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, May 3-5, from 9:30 a.m. to noon. The demonstrations are held at the Cooperative’s North Office on the southeast corner of I-27 and Municipal Drive. This is one of three programs presented to about 1,000 students this spring to help promote May as Electrical Safety Month. This is the Cooperative’s 16th year of hosting the safety demonstrations.
The five demonstration areas include:
- An arcing demonstration shows the danger of overhead power lines. SPEC employees use a mini-transformer/power line set up to demonstrate different dangers of contacting overhead power lines. The demonstration unit produces 7,200 volts, which is less voltage than an actual power line but produces sparks and fire, impressing the real danger of power line contact to the students.
- SPEC linemen demonstrate a pole-top rescue. The foreman expresses the importance of a quick response time when rescuing an injured crew member. He explains the procedure in detail, but also makes it clear that this is one procedure they hope they never have to practice in real life.
- Other SPEC employees demonstrate a bucket truck rescue. They explain and demonstrate how a crew must work together to get an injured crew member to the ground safely and quickly. They explain how crew members have less than five minutes to get an injured person to the ground and start cardiopulmonary resuscitation before the brain is damaged due to lack of oxygen.
- A lineman also explains the dangers of underground lines and padmount transformers. The popping noise of the electricity makes sure everyone’s attention is on the lineman
- A fifth demonstration station features a safety video, “The Shocking Truth,” which helps students pull all of the safety information together.
About South Plains Electric Cooperative
South Plains Electric Cooperative, a Touchstone Energy® Cooperative, serves more than 50,000 connected meters in Childress, Cottle, Crosby, Dickens, Floyd, Foard, Garza, Hale, Hall, Hardeman, Hockley, Kent, King, Lamb, Lubbock, Lynn, Motley and Stonewall counties. When you see Touchstone Energy, you know you are being served with accountability, integrity, innovation and commitment to community.
(News release from South Plains Electric Cooperative)