Ameren Reminds Parents To Talk With Kids About Electric Safety Tips This Summer

BELLEVILLE – Summer is in full swing, and children are spending more time enjoying the outdoors. Ameren says now is a good time for parents to sit down with children to share some important electric safety tips.

"More than ever, young people are operating devices and technologies – like drones – that can come into contact with overhead electrical equipment," said Brian Brackney, director of safety for Ameren. "We are encouraging parents to talk to kids about the dangers of overhead power lines and surrounding electrical equipment and remind them to stay away."

Ameren offers the following discussion tips for parents regarding outdoor electric safety:

• Drones, remote-controlled (RC) planes and kites should be flown only during good weather conditions in large open areas, such as an open park or a wide field. Keep these items away from overhead power lines or other electrical equipment. If a kite gets stuck in a tree near power lines, do not climb up to get it. Electricity can travel down kite strings or wires. Do not attempt to free something stuck in a power line. If your drone or RC plane lands in a substation, call Ameren Illinois at 1.800.755.5000 or Ameren Missouri at 1.800.552.7583.
• Never climb a utility pole or tower. The electricity carried through this equipment is high voltage and could kill you.
• Do not play on or around pad-mounted electrical equipment. These are often green metal “boxes” on cement pads and contain transformers.
• Never climb trees near power lines. Even if the power lines are not touching the tree, they could touch when more weight is added to the branch.
• Never go into an electric substation. Electric substations contain high-voltage equipment; even raising your hand inside one can cause an arc that may cause an electric shock. Never attempt to retrieve a pet, ball or any toy from these areas.
• Immediately seek shelter if lightning or thunder is present while playing outdoors.
  

Downed power lines discussion tips:

• Make sure your family members know to stay away from downed power lines and wires, and tell children to report any fallen or dangling wires to an adult.
• Downed power lines are dangerous; always assume any power line is energized and stay far away. Call Ameren Illinois immediately at 1.800.755.5000 or Ameren Missouri at 1.800.552.7583 if you or your child encounters a downed power line.

Protection outdoors and around water

• Protect all family members from serious shock and injuries by installing ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) on outdoor outlets and in interior rooms where water is present. A GFCI shuts off power instantly if it detects a problem. Use portable GFCIs for outdoor outlets that don’t have them. GFCIs are affordably priced and found at hardware stores.
• Be careful using electrical appliances outdoors, even if plugged into GFCI-equipped outlets. Never use appliances with frayed or damaged extension cords and always be sure the ground prong is intact.
• Teach kids to never touch an electric appliance while in a pool or hot tub, to keep all electrical appliances at least 10 feet away from pools, ponds, and wet surfaces, and that it is never safe to swim in a pool or lake when a storm is brewing.
• Teach older children to exercise caution before plugging in a radio, CD player, or any electrical gadget outdoors and never leave any electrical appliance outside. If it rains, the device could get wet and cause an electrical shock when used later.

Tips for parents when building a swing set or outdoor playing area:

• Do not install playground equipment or swimming pools underneath or near power lines.
• Installation of either will require digging. Call 811 to have buried lines marked so you can avoid serious injury and damage.

About Ameren Corporation

St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation powers the quality of life for 2.4 million electric customers and more than 900,000 natural gas customers in a 64,000-square-mile area through its Ameren Missouri and Ameren Illinois rate-regulated utility subsidiaries. Ameren Illinois provides electric transmission and distribution service and natural gas distribution service. Ameren Missouri provides electric generation, transmission and distribution service, as well as natural gas distribution service. Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois develops, owns and operates rate-regulated regional electric transmission projects in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. For more information, visit Ameren.com, or follow us at @AmerenCorp, Facebook.com/AmerenCorp, or LinkedIn.com/company/Ameren.

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