Play It Safe: Electrically (1982)

[Music] electricity helps us in almost everything we do [Music] electricity is really man-made lightning it will serve you for the rest of your life it is controlled [Music] energy electricity is very safe when used properly but it can be extremely dangerous if you aren't careful Sparks from a kite snagged on two high voltage power lines in California caused this when the Sparks fell on dry bushes it started a fire that destroyed 200 homes causing damage amounting to $40 [Music] million my job as a lineman I work for power utility now electricity is a wonderful thing but it must be controlled if it stays in the wires and on the insulators fine but if it was to be cut and fall to the ground now it would be just like lightning and lightning takes the shortest path to the ground now if you were to come in contact with that wire you could suffer severe shock or be burnt or even be killed [Music] flying kites and controlled model planes is great fun but fun can turn into tragedy if you're anywhere near overhead power [Music] lines if your kite or plane makes contact with the power line you could be the perfect path to ground that electricity always seeks you could be seriously burned or killed follow these tips and you'll be safe always fly your kite and plane far away from power lines never fly your kite in the [Music] rain always use dry string wood and paper in your kite never metal wire metallic string or cloth [Music] always fly well away from TV and CB [Music] antennas if your kite or plane gets caught in a power line stay away from it call your local utility company it could be causing a power blackout and never pull the string or climb a power pole to Get It Free Yourself trees great for climbing and building tree houses but trees might have electric wires running through the branches trees are full of moisture and electricity runs through them very easily so before you start to climb check for wires and be sure your friends do the same avoid Danger here by simply staying away from trees near wires part of my job as a lineman is climbing power poles to make repairs it's a dangerous job unless you've been trained how to do it and wear very special protective equipment no one but a linan should ever climb a power pole for any reason not even to rescue a cat you know if you don't frighten it a cat will climb down just as easy as it climbed up climbing a power pole for any reason is risking your [Music] life this means exactly what it says danger High voltage these signs are warnings to all of us that the area contains very powerful electric currents when you see a sign like this stay completely away from the area tell younger children what the sign means and keep them away [Music] too structures such as these may be common around your neighborhood they contain very powerful electric currents obey danger signs and stay away if you see one that appears to be open call your local utility [Music] immediately you might think this is just a little bit of fun but it isn't it can have disastrous [Music] results there we go two more floors to go ah heck now what do we do oh no [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] fine how you good this is a good show right yeah never shoot at insulators you could be endangering my life I have to climb those poles and if that wire was to fall off uh from the insulator it could fall on me could burn me could severely injur me or could even kill me I can't understand why people will shoot at insulators and use them as targets looks harmless doesn't it but it isn't [Music] stay away from Fallen overhead wires anyone who touches them could be killed a fallen wire does not necessarily have to spark to be [Music] deadly never touch anything that is in contact with the wire be sure to stay far enough away in case the wires should swing in the [Music] wind guard the area to keep people away as soon as possible have someone call the police or your local utility company tell them what's wrong and where the Fallen wires are they will know what to do [Music] summertime and the living is easy as long as you're sure there are no overhead power lines to cause you an emergency be sure your Mast is low enough to safely clear any overhead power lines remember to allow for uneven ground and bouncing when you're sailing be sure your Mast does not touch any overhead power lines you'll be able to enjoy all of the summer by being careful [Music] [Laughter] [Music] water and electricity do not mix in fact water is an excellent conductor of electricity it definitely is not a good idea to have electric radios record players or any electrical Appliance anywhere near the water keep them away if you don't you're asking for trouble when you're cleaning the pool watch out for those overhead power lines [Music] every year hundreds of people are injured or killed by lightning it's not controlled or predictable like electricity if you're cut outside during an electrical storm stay away from trees and water find low ground and Crouch down [Music] let's run over some of those safety tips again never fly kites or controlled model planes anywhere near overhead power lines check to see that there are no wires running through branches before you climb trees or build tree houses stay away from these areas [Music] watch for overhead power lines when sailing be sure to stay away from any Fallen overhead [Music] wires never use insulators as target [Music] practice remember only linemen are meant to climb power poles you don't have to be afraid of electricity if you treat it with the respect it deserves [Music]