Celebrate safely this Fourth of July!
With Independence Day celebrations coming up, PEC wants you and your loved ones to stay safe when using fireworks. The safest thing is to leave setting off fireworks to the professionals, but if you are going to use them, stay aware of electric infrastructure such as power lines and pad-mounted transformers.
An incident involving fireworks and PEC equipment could cause a fire, an explosion, a downed power line, or power outages. Do not use fireworks anywhere near power lines. This includes the big green boxes you have in your neighborhood if you have underground electric service. They carry high-voltage electricity; do not use fireworks around them, touch them, or sit on them.
If a power line is down, call 911 and then alert PEC by calling our emergency line at 888-883-3379. Stay away from the line and anything touching it.
Here are some more fireworks safety tips for a successful holiday:
- Never allow children to set off fireworks.
- Follow any local codes, ordinances, and burn bans.
- Keep a bucket of water or a hose nearby to extinguish any fires.
- Put used fireworks in a bucket of water before disposing of them.
- Spectators should keep a safe distance and be mindful of the direction of the wind.
- Light fireworks one at a time, and do not attempt to relight any that malfunction.
- Never point or throw fireworks at another person.
For more safety tips, visit pec.coop/safety.