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Back to Basics Part 5: Cutting Drip Loops
Cutting the drip loops.
This is a sensitive subject for some, but a basic skill I remember learning as a rookie.
Cutting drip loops is something that not all departments do, but it is necessary in some instances depending on where you are in the country.
In my area you could get utilities on scene in town within minutes whereas the more rural parts could take an hour.
Cutting the drip loops requires some skill and knowledge to be done correctly. You must also have a set of appropriate cutters and ideally, some electrical gloves.
As you can see, there are some hazards associated with this and you must follow your departments policies on this.
With this particular photo, what do you see as a hazard?
When would you consider cutting the drip loops?
Do you have the appropriate tools to cut the loops?
Be careful when dealing with electricity. The ideal tactic is to let the utility company deal with it.
Train to your departmental SOG’s and stay safe.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Oldman on
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We have an agreement with the power company. They won't put out fires, and we won't mess with the electricity.
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Permalink Reply by J. D. Rinard on
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We have an agreement with the electric company that we can pull the meter and put in a blind cap in its place.
Be trainable and stay safe out there,
J.D.
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Permalink Reply by Ron Ayotte on
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ditto that!
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Never pull the meter! All it is is a measuring device, like a speedometer/odometer in a car.
If you need to kill power and the power company has a long eta, and the breaker box/fuse panel is accessible, it is easier to kill the main there by removing the fuse if it can be done safely or by tripping the breaker.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Meadows on
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Do you mean the main box outside? In most instances if you can get to the meter to pull it, you can get to the main house disconnect as they are side by side. But in some houses they don't have that box or it is mounted to the structure itself so neither one is an option. It would be ideal if we could be trained to pull the fuses from the poles and be able to buy/use devices to do that with. But in a typical situation that's not a good thing either because then we would be liable if we knocked a whole neighborhood out of power. If you pull the meter though, the house will lose power but then you have major electrical voltages exposed even with a blind cap in place. The meter is not just a measuring device but it is also a transformer and acts as a fuse. A meter must be in place before a house can have electricity. But if a meter isn't present don't act like the house has no power. I know of one instance right off where someone "bypassed" the meter and was stealing electricity until a power surge caught their house on fire.
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Permalink Reply by Chaz2771 on
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I myself am an IBEW power Lineman and I can tell you that not any old joe blow can go and start pulling fuses and meters. If you find the customer's main breaker and it is accessible then by all means go ahead and shut it off. The thing about pulling meters is that it is a lot more dangerous than it seems, especially if you don't know what voltage you are dealing with. There are many cases of meter bases arcing over when the meters are pulled under load, and an electric arc blast is a hell of a lot hotter than any fire you are trying to put out. You need the proper equipment and training to pull meters safely. We do have about half of our protection area that is serviced by an REA Co-op, and they can take a couple of hours to show up. The city's power company that serves the other half of our protection area usually shows up within 10 or 15 minutes of being called. The city's power company has worked out an agreement with the REA that they will show up in the REA's territory and just cut everything in the clear so we can do our job a lot quicker which is very helpful for the fire dept and makes us having to kill the power not an issue.
As far as getting training and tools to pull fuses, that too is a bad idea. The only people that should be messing with high voltage primary are people working for the power company who have the proper training and know the electrical system in the area. Pulling the fuse isn't always the answer especially in the cities where there can be several customers on one transformer. You can have back feed on the secondary side of the transformer which will energize the building you are fighting the fire in, and pulling the primary side fuse won't do anything. Even cutting drip loops is a bad idea if you don't have the right tools and training as well as knowledge of the specific situation. Remember, there is no eraser with electricity, one mess up and you're done.
Don't let that power in the wall of your house fool you, it is just as dangerous if not more dangerous than the stuff on the pole. If you have somebody on your department that has a thorough knowledge of electricity and the power company is willing to work something out with you then I guess that's your ass on the line. I would just say it's better to let the power company deal with cutting the power instead of the fire dept. Like those who said before, they don't fight our fires so we shouldn't mess with their lines.
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No a meter is not a transformer, nor does it act like a fuse, a meter is just that, a device used to measure electric power consumption. The only meters that work hand in hand with transformers are either for the power company's own equipment on the high voltage lines or in large industrial applications and in either case you shouldn't be anywhere near either unless you are trained and authorized to be working with the equipment. And no disrespect or anything but it is that misinformation and lack of knowledge with electricity and electrical equipment that gets people hurt and killed who try to mess with it.
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Permalink Reply by Mike Gemberling on
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I also would never cut the overhead during a fire situation. I do it quite a bit at my day job but you have to take your time and think about what you're doing. Not always the case at a fire scene. You cut that neutral loose first, you might have just made your problems much much bigger. Not to mention you cut a hot and it hits that bare messenger, that's unfused power if it's coming overhead. Most of the new homes in my fire service area have underground feeders. There are fused at 200 or 250 on a main with the meter in combo. Hit the main, house is dead. I have pulled meters on fire scenes. But I'll check first to see how heavily they are loaded. I carry linemans gloves in my gear bag and I always drop my shield down when pulling meters.
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Permalink Reply by Fireyladd - Retired Chief Sharp on
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I am glad we are in a area where the Electric company is called an there within 1/2 hour of being called. We would not cut any wires or pull any meters. The power isnt off until the Electric company tells us its off. All wires are energised an live until they tell us differently. Be safe.
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Permalink Reply by Spanner 122 on
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We don't touch anything that hydro can be called in to take care of. End of story.
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Permalink Reply by Ron King (Fire Chief) on
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We are not cats! We only have one life. It would be so bad to get killed by something you cannot see. Leave the lines to the utility company. Stay Safe everyone!
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Permalink Reply by FETC on
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THIS IS NOT TAUGHT ANYMORE DUE TO FIREFIGHTERS BECOMING INJURED. THIS IS A POWER COMPANY ISSUE.
If you can throw the main breaker on the circuit panel, the only electrical hazard you have is from the panel back to the meter. And note pulling meters is no longer taught or expected of firefighters either.
I wouldn't title this as a back to basics lesson. How to become an example on Fire Fighter Close Calls comes to mind...
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