Home > Electrical Safety > Public Safety Programs > Emergency Responders

Public Safety

Emergency Responders

Firefighters, police, paramedics and ambulance attendants are often confronted by electrical hazards when responding to emergencies. The emergency may involve electrical utility facilities such as utility poles, power lines, and substations, or the electrical service in a house or other building.

An examination of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health database for the period 1997 to 2000, reveals that each year on average, 100 firefighters suffer fatal injuries while on duty with three per cent of these deaths the result of electrical contacts. A particularly tragic case is the Marion, Ohio, accident in 1997. In this accident, three emergency responders, two firefighters and an emergency medical technician were killed. Six others, including a police officer, were injured when one of the emergency responders contacted a high voltage power line while attempting to rescue the victim.

In Ontario during the three year period 1998 to 2000 there was an average of 230 electrical contact accidents reported each year to the Ministry of Labour. Of these, on average, 13 were fatal, 33 resulted in critical injuries and 115 of these accidents involved contact with high voltage power lines. Emergency responders are almost always involved in these accidents and must take care to protect themselves as well as the victims of electrical shock.

Hydro One Networks has partnered with the Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) and the Municipal Health & Safety Association (MHSA) to produce a handbook and training designed to help save the lives of emergency responders who are called upon to respond to emergencies involving electrical systems.

The MHSA has the lead role to distribute the handbook to emergency responders and to deliver training. To order copies of the handbook contact the MHSA at: