October 10, 2023

The Live Wire Electrical Safety Trailers are continuing to make an impact as they travel around our service territory and help FirstEnergy spread the word about electrical safety. One of the trailers’ most recent stops was in Clearfield, Pa., where a group of nearly 150 Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) employees – consisting mostly of snowplow drivers – participated in a demonstration held by Penelec line workers.

“Snowplow drivers spend a lot of time on the road – mostly when travel conditions are treacherous and icy surfaces can lead to vehicle accidents,” said Karen Finney, manager, Operations. “When PennDOT’s safety coordinator reached out to the Clearfield Service Center and asked if we could share some electrical safety tips with their employees, we were more than happy to use Penelec’s Live Wire Electrical Safety Trailer to provide this life-saving information.”

Staffing the trailer for the event were Penelec employees Bobby Hawkins, troubleman scheduled; Zach Czap, Line Construction & Maintenance; and Dan Hudson, troubleman scheduled.

During the demonstration, Zach and Dan donned all required personal protective equipment and operated the safety trailer, energizing conductors to show how electricity can travel through common objects. Bobby served as the facilitator for the event, explaining what is happening at each point of the presentation and responding to questions from the audience so the line workers can focus on safely operating the equipment.

“I’d like to thank Bobby, Zach and Dan for their dedication to safety and for helping an essential member of our community by operating the electrical safety trailer,” added Karen. “We reached a large audience, and the PennDOT employees asked some good questions and were very engaged with the presentation.”

According to Jamie McMullen, consultant, Public Safety, there is one section of the safety trailer demonstration that was particularly important for snowplow drivers to see. “One of the hazards that our line workers demonstrate is how electricity can travel through a car door,” she said. “Snowplow drivers may come across multiple car accidents during their shift, so it’s critical they know not to go near a vehicle that has downed power lines on or near it. They need to call 911 and keep others away.”

Bobby Hawkins (wearing a Penelec hard hat) serves as moderator during the Live Wire Electrical Safety Trailer demonstration held for approximately 150 PennDOT employees.