October 19, 2022

It’s never too early to learn about electrical safety. That’s why we recently partnered with the Cleveland Guardians to host a live electrical safety demonstration for more than 200 students at Almira PreK-8 Academy in Cleveland.

The students watched an attention-grabbing educational show that featured flying sparks, booms and more, courtesy of The Illuminating Company’s (CEI) Live Wire Electrical Safety Trailer. Several CEI employees operated the trailer, which uses an energized transformer to send electricity through various everyday items – including a metal ladder – to simulate what occurs when various materials come into contact with a power line.

The demonstration highlighted the importance of staying far away from power lines and energized electrical equipment. Students were also reminded to never retrieve a kite or any type of object that is caught in power lines. Instead, they should ask an adult to call 888-LIGHTSS (888-544-4877), and a FirstEnergy employee will be dispatched to help.

“This is one of many efforts that reflect our daily focus on safety, which extends beyond our employees and into the communities we serve,” said Chad Stoneking, director, Safety Operations. “By demonstrating basic electrical safety concepts in a fun and exciting way, and by leveraging our partnership with the Cleveland Guardians, we are encouraging kids to share potentially life-saving information with their friends and family for years to come.”

As part of the event, Guardians pitcher Zach Plesac toured the school and talked with students and staff before he joined them to watch FirstEnergy’s electrical safety demonstration.

According to Almira principal Jim Greene, the team effort displayed by FirstEnergy and the Guardians will leave a lasting impact for students and staff. “Almira’s student body represents more than 20 different countries with a broad range of cultures and traditions,” he said. “This means the electrical safety lessons provided through this partnership will be shared with families with backgrounds that reach far and wide.”

The safety demonstration is part of our Stop. Look. Live. electrical safety public education campaign. The campaign features engaging and memorable initiatives to help protect targeted groups that are most at-risk of encountering electrical safety hazards, including first-responder organizations and contractors. The campaign also features an educational program for children.

For more information – including tips on how you and your family can stay safe around electricity – visit www.firstenergycorp.com/publicsafety or the Public Safety Outreach Campaign SharePoint site.