Utility Services Cut Off

[SECTMB 612]

In some of the recent posts the electric or gas utility has been requested to the scene to provide cut off of services. The response time provided by the utility is sometimes excessive and in most cases will do nothing to assist with the suppression of the fire. So my question is, why don't or can't the utility companies provide emergency (lights and siren) response to a scene in order to cut the utilities to provide for a safer scene? Can't certain supervisors or foreman who can make the cut off be equipped with pagers or get texts when necessary and have a company vehicle equipped accordingly to

get them to the scene more quickly with the necessary equipment to get the job done?

[EMT-7035 4]

My assumption would be that this would have to be a statewide change since I believe the DOT needs to permit vehicles (or departments) to operate with red lights and sirens as emergency vehicles. But assuming that hurtle is overcome (or I'm wrong about the process) then how would this occur logistically? Would they be in the run cards for any wires down, gas leak... or just be available by request of command as they are now?

[Bnechis 3,961]

NYS DMV (not DOT) laws generally recognize emergency vehicles (those allowed to have red lights/siren) as official (read: municipal) vehicles (most fire & PD) and ambulance services. Their is no recognition of public utilities (that are not governmentally owned) as emergency vehicles.

Realistically the type of vehicles they are responding in, will only get to us a few minutes faster with RLS. And the real issue is each crew is covering a very large area. Since the public is not willing to pay higher utility rates, this will likely remain unchanged.

[AFS1970 504]

Even if you get around the RLS issue, the crews that respond are often regional and not coming from a nearby location. My city is relatively lucky in that we have a CL&P (Connecticut Light & Power) facility in town, but still the people coming for the trucks don't always live in town. One night we got a call from a foreman who wanted an escort down I95 as he was coming from several towns away. We referred him to the state police but in all reality the traffic was so bad on the highway that they were not going to be able to help him that much.

A few years ago I was sent to a possible transformer "explosion", when we got there the lights were on in the neighborhood. As this was an odd intersection where 3 fire districts met, we decided to check the other two areas to determine who to call and we did find a power outage. As we were about to call for the other district and the power company a CL&P truck pulled up and the driver told us we could free up. When I asked how he got there so fast he said he lived across from the transformer, heard it pop and got up went and picked up a truck and came back to reset the power in his neighborhood.

[velcroMedic1987 330]

NYS DMV (not DOT) laws generally recognize emergency vehicles (those allowed to have red lights/siren) as official (read: municipal) vehicles (most fire & PD) and ambulance services. Their is no recognition of public utilities (that are not governmentally owned) as emergency vehicles.

Realistically the type of vehicles they are responding in, will only get to us a few minutes faster with RLS. And the real issue is each crew is covering a very large area. Since the public is not willing to pay higher utility rates, this will likely remain unchanged.

From the NYS VTL:

§ 101. Authorized emergency vehicle. Every ambulance, police vehicle

or bicycle, correction vehicle, fire vehicle, civil defense emergency

vehicle, emergency ambulance service vehicle, blood delivery vehicle,

county emergency medical services vehicle, environmental emergency

response vehicle, sanitation patrol vehicle, hazardous materials

emergency vehicle and ordnance disposal vehicle of the armed forces of

the United States.

Not just municipal vehicles. Blood delivery vehicles, ambulance, environmental and haz-mat vehicles all qualify for designation as emergency vehicles.

I don't think it has anything to do with the ownership of the utilities or the distances they may have to respond. What qualifies as an emergency? I would say a gas leak qualifies but if someone's lights are out is that an emergency? Who decides?

There are enough problems with police, fire and EMS responding to things without adding a couple thousand more vehicles with lights and sirens.

[wmetech 2]

I've always wondered the same thing, but I think the main issue as previously mentioned is the area crews cover as well as their distance from the trucks (or if they're lucky enough to have a company vehicle at home).

The other day I passed a ConEd truck (Chevy Colorado I believe) somewhere in the Northern Westchester area that definitely looked to be equipped with red lights and sirens. It had red "EMERGENCY" lettered on the front and sides as well. Anyone seen the same or know what these are used for?

[v85 212]

I don't know about up in Westchester, but in NYC Con-Ed had or has some SUV's with red lights on the dash and sirens, in addition to the yellow lights to respond to manhole explosions and the like

[velcroMedic1987 330]

I've always wondered the same thing, but I think the main issue as previously mentioned is the area crews cover as well as their distance from the trucks (or if they're lucky enough to have a company vehicle at home).

The other day I passed a ConEd truck (Chevy Colorado I believe) somewhere in the Northern Westchester area that definitely looked to be equipped with red lights and sirens. It had red "EMERGENCY" lettered on the front and sides as well. Anyone seen the same or know what these are used for?

I don't know about the red lights or sirens but EMERGENCY could be a couple of things. Electric troubleshooters and the ERG's (emergency response group) are their first responders. They gave a great class at the training center a while back. I think they all have "emergency" in red on their trucks.

If you haven't been to their class you should. Really opens your eyes to the hazards out there that we sometimes overlook.