Public Safety: Fire Service
Fire, police and ambulance crews attend incidents including:
- General fires and rescues
- Vehicles tipping or loading under overhead lines
- Construction and agricultural vehicles or cranes under overhead lines
- Contact with overhead lines when fishing, camping or scaffolding
- Road traffic accidents involving collision with electricity poles
- Attempted suicides at substations, poles or steel pylons
- Damage to, or contact with, underground cables whilst excavating
Emergency services should not enter electricity substations without authorisation from the electricity company. Never start a rescue before safety is confirmed. ENA publishes a risk assessment flow chart which aims to ensure the safety of the emergency services and that of others.
Advice is to call the electricity company as soon as it is known any incident involves electricity poles, wires or substations.
Electricity company emergency telephone numbers are already known by fire, police and ambulance control centres. Emergency services are advised to call the electricity company urgently with the precise location of incidents. The industry is committed to engaging with the emergency services in order to protect their staff.
Our leaflets are provided free of charge. However, we would appreciate you letting us know where they are being used. Please send any feedback to richard.legros@energynetworks.org
