Safety
At Cotton Electric Cooperative, member safety is important to us. Learn how to keep your family safe by watching the video and following the links below.
Accidentally contacting a power line can be dangerous and in some cases, even deadly. Your Touchstone Energy cooperative wants to help our members stay safe around power lines.
Keep a safe distance
Whether you are playing outdoors with your children or working on landscaping projects, keep a safe distance from power lines and other equipment your co-op uses to get electricity to your home.
Always remember to:
- Stay away from power lines, meters, transformers and electrical boxes.
- Don’t climb trees near power lines.
- Never fly kites, remote control airplanes or balloons near power lines.
- If you get something stuck in a power line, call your Touchstone Energy co-op to get it.
- Keep a safe distance from overhead power lines when working with ladders or installing objects such as antennas.
- Never touch or go near a downed power line.
- Don’t touch anything that may be touching a downed wire, such as a car.
- Keep children and pets away.
If a power line falls on a car, you should stay inside the vehicle. This is the safest place to stay. Warn people not to touch the car or the line. Call or ask someone to call the local cooperative and emergency services.
The only circumstance in which you should consider leaving a car that is in contact with a downed power line is if the vehicle catches on fire. Open the door. Do not step out of the car. You may receive a shock. Instead, jump free of the car so that your body clears the vehicle before touching the ground. Once you clear the car, shuffle at least 50 feet away, with both feet on the ground.
As in all power line related emergencies, call for help immediately by dialing 911 or call Cotton Electric's Dispatch Office at 580-875-3351.
Do not try to help someone else from the car while you are standing on the ground.
Preventing Electrocutions Associated with Portable Generators Plugged Into Household Circuits
When power lines are down, residents can restore energy to their homes or other structures by using another power source such as a portable generator. If water has been present anywhere near electrical circuits and electrical equipment, turn off the power at the main breaker or fuse on the service panel. Do not turn the power back on until electrical equipment has been inspected by a qualified electrician.
If it is necessary to use a portable generator, manufacturer recommendations and specifications must be strictly followed. If there are any questions regarding the operation or installation of the portable generator, a qualified electrician should be immediately contacted to assist in installation and start-up activities. The generator should always be positioned outside the structure.
When using gasoline- and diesel-powered portable generators to supply power to a building, switch the main breaker or fuse on the service panel to the "off" position prior to starting the generator. This will prevent power lines from being inadvertently energized by backfeed electrical energy from the generators, and help protect utility line workers or other repair workers or people in neighboring buildings from possible electrocution. If the generator is plugged into a household circuit without turning the main breaker to the “off” position or removing the main fuse, the electrical current could reverse, go back through the circuit to the outside power grid, and energize power lines or electrical systems in other buildings to at or near their original voltage without the knowledge of utility or other workers.
Effects of Backfeed
The problem of backfeed in electrical energy is a potential risk for electrical energy workers. Electrocutions are the fifth leading cause of all reported occupational deaths. Following the safety guidelines below can reduce this risk.
Other Generator Hazards
Generator use is also a major cause of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Generators should only be used in well ventilated areas.
Trees that grow too close to electric lines can create shock and fire hazards as well as power outages. More importantly, children can become victims of electric shock when they climb trees that have grown too close to the power lines as well. Trees growing into power lines can also create electrical hazards for people who might be trimming branches, hanging lights or otherwise working around them.
Everyone needs to be aware of the dangers and risks created when trees grow into power lines and the importance of calling the utility or utility locator service before beginning any landscaping project.
Choosing the right tree for the right place is crucial, especially when it comes to power lines. Trees and wood in general can potentially conduct electricity and can create a safety hazard if grown close to electric lines. Power outages or momentary interruptions can occur when branches come into contact with overhead lines. Electrical arcing and sparking from a wire to a nearby branch can also cause fires.
Keep in mind expected height when you purchase trees to plant. Just because a tree is far from the power line right now, doesn’t mean it always will be.
If you have trees that appear to be growing into power lines, contact Cotton Electric. Never try to prune them yourself. Utilities can recommend skilled professionals trained to safely prune and trim trees for electric line clearance.
To avoid future electrical hazards, Safe Electricity recommends the following safety tips:
- Consider mature height of trees. Never plant a tree near a power line that could grow within 25 feet of it. Tall growing trees should be planted a minimum of 20 feet away from power lines, and 50 feet away to avoid future pruning. A mature height of less than 15 feet is recommended for trees planted near power lines.
- Do not plant near underground utility services. Tree roots can grow to interfere with underground pipes, cables and wires. Future repairs to these facilities also could damage the health and beauty of nearby plants and trees, or even require removal.
- Keep areas around electric meters, transformers or other electrical equipment free of any vegetation that could limit utility service access.
Before digging, call the underground utility locator service to mark the location of underground utilities so that accidental contact, damage and injuries can be avoided. The number is 811 or 1-800-522-OKIE (6543). You can also start a ticket at OKIE811.org.
As we all know, windy conditions are a frequent occurrence in Southwest Oklahoma and can sometimes lead to Red Flag Warnings. On those days, Cotton Electric will activate our Red Flag Warning Day (RFWD) operational protocols to help mitigate fire risks and ensure the safety of our communities.
Red Flag Warning Day Defined
By the National Weather Service definition, Red Flag Warnings are issued “when warm temperatures, very low humidities, and stronger winds are expected to combine to produce an increased risk of fire danger.” When forecasted conditions indicate an increased risk of fire danger, we will follow operational protocols to mitigate risk. One of these protocols involves adjusting equipment settings on reclosers.
What is a recloser?
A recloser is a device that opens a circuit when a fault occurs and then automatically closes the circuit when the fault is cleared. Like a circuit breaker in your home, it shuts off electric power when trouble occurs. Where a household circuit breaker remains shut off until it is manually reset, a recloser under normal operation automatically tests the electric line to determine whether the trouble has been removed. If the problem was temporary like lightning, a windblown tree branch, bird or animal, a recloser operating under standard settings will attempt to reset itself. If the problem clears, power is restored. If it does not, an outage results.
When operating under RFWD protocols, the reclosers will be set to an alternate mode, meaning that if a fault occurs, the recloser will remain open without attempting to automatically reclose, helping to mitigate fire risks in certain conditions.
Restoring Power During RFWDs
Currently, Cotton Electric crews must manually adjust each distribution recloser in the field and drive to each location. If a fault occurs, CEC employees visually inspect the affected circuit before reenergizing the line, which can be a lengthy process. Some remote operation and pre-configured settings are options at the substation level. However, a visual inspection prior to reenergization is still required.
Outage Restoration Estimates
During a RFWD, it is extremely difficult to estimate outage restoration times. Much of our distribution system is located in rural and remote areas with difficult terrain. For poles and lines located off the road, the line must be checked on foot. If it’s dark, the job is even more difficult for our crews and is more time consuming regardless of where it’s located.
We encourage all of our members to have a plan in place should power be off for an extended period of time. Also, we would like to remind the public that for our crews’ safety as well as their own, do not attempt to operate the Cooperative’s equipment. If you see a downed power line, stay away as it may be energized and call us at 580-875-3351 to report it.
If you have any questions or concerns during a Red Flag Warning Day, please don't hesitate to call us. We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to ensure the safety and reliability of our service during these challenging conditions.
