There is a nearly endless list of equipment that can benefit from Sigalarm installations. These are vehicles with masts, such as television Electronic News Gathering vans, border patrol vehicles, and fire trucks. It’s important to note that power line contact accidents are common outside the construction industry too. So, in the case of fire truck power line contact accidents, what measures can employers take to ensure safety?
Time and time again fire trucks accidentally hit power lines, thus causing damage to the vehicle. When aerial ladders are lifted during training, routine maintenance, or emergencies, truck operators don’t always have the proper protection to prevent power line contact. But this is an important issue to address because these accidents end up being costly and can be prevented.
An example is the South Portland Fire Department incident. During training, the fire truck made contact with a power line. Because the aerial’s controls were shorted in the fire, firefighters could not move the ladder away from the power line. This resulted in the loss of the vehicle valued at $1.1M. Another fire truck power line accident happened very recently in Fort Worth. Shortly after arriving at the scene, the department’s fire truck communication mast made contact with the power lines while setting up. This contact destroyed the $1.25M vehicle.
We conclude that both Fire Departments could have benefited from proximity alarms to prevent power line contact. Also, the implementation of a strict layers of protection policy could have contributed to the safety of firefighters and the preservation of the vehicles.
While these incidents did not have any casualties, the financial loss was significant. Sigalarm proximity alarms are a tool that give repeatable warnings to equipment operators in the proximity of dangerous high voltage. However, Sigalarm products are not a substitute for vigilance and proper safety procedures. Employers should use as many layers of safety as possible to manage electrical hazards, so that if one layer fails another is in place. In this case, a Sigalarm proximity alarm could have added to the layers of protection that these Fire Department already use.
In order to collaborate to the safety and prevent fire truck power line accidents, Sigalarm proximity alarms are versatile when it comes to their installation. Our proximity alarms can be installed on equipment of almost any type and size. This guarantees that the vast majority of equipment has coverage and protection.
Sigalarm is a world leader in the manufacturing, distribution, and sales of power line warning systems. We have decades of history and experience, and our mission has always been the same: to keep individuals safe in the line of work with our proximity alarms. Contact us today and opt for safety with our products.
