Pilot Program Engages Members Tree Planning through Innovative
Transcript of Pilot Program Engages Members Tree Planning through Innovative
A Safety Note from Your Cooperative
Most people haven’t. Yet, in a land of 10,000 lakes, it is important we all learn about it. This story which happened in Alabama, tells why.
“Carmen Elizabeth Johnson, 15, a Priceville High cheerleader who lived in Hartselle, died April 17, 2016, after jumping off the boat dock into electrically charged water at her family’s lake house on Smith Lake, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. The official cause of death was drowning by electrocution, state police said. Jimmy Johnson, her father, has been working to raise awareness about electric shock drownings since. “It’s really important to (share Carmen’s story), even though it is hard to do because I never had heard of electric shock drowning and I’ve been around the water since I was 5 years old,” he said. “It never even crossed my mind that it was possible.”
That weekend in 2016 felt like any other at the Johnson family lake house on Smith Lake in Winston County, Alabama. Even though it was April, Carmen and her two friends were sunbathing on the dock. As Johnson worked on a pathway nearby, he heard a splash as his daughter dove from the top of the two-story dock into the lake. While the lake was only 68 degrees, Johnson wasn’t surprised Carmen was swimming. She was always a daredevil. Johnson realized the ladder wasn’t in the water so he lowered it. He had no idea that the metal ladder carried an electric charge from a faulty light switch. Then Carmen’s friend Reagan jumped in the water and began squealing about the cold water. But Reagan soon started screaming in panic. Johnson ran toward the girls and noticed Reagan looked terrified as Carmen was sinking under the water. He thought something was pulling Carmen down so he jumped in to save her. But he realized there was another problem. “I could feel the electrical current and it was so strong I couldn’t swim in it,” he said. As he blacked out, his son, Zach jumped in to help. Before losing consciousness, Johnson screamed, “Cut the power to the boat dock.” His wife Casey did, saving Johnson, Reagan and Zach. “If we didn’t have that switch and my wife didn’t know about it, three more lives would have been lost,” he said. His wife was able to turn off the power to the dock in time for Jimmy Johnson, his son and Carmen Johnson’s friend to survive the shock and exit the lake, he said. But the shock caused Carmen to go under. She was pulled from the water and pronounced dead an hour later, officials said.”
Don’t let this happen to your family. Take five minutes to read the attached handouts and then make sure to have your dock and boat inspected. Electricity is safe . . . when we know how to respect it! Reference: Today Show website, May 19, 2017 and Times Daily website, May 29, 2017 Resource: Prepared by Minnesota Rural Electric Association for our cooperative; Author, Lidia Dilley Jacobson
No. 06-2017
ELEC
TRIC
SH
OC
KD
ROW
NIN
GA
SIL
ENT
KIL
LER
Wha
t Yo
uM
UST
Kno
w
to P
rote
ct
Your
Fa
mily
ww
w.E
lec
tric
Sho
ckD
row
ning
.org
DO
N’T
SW
IMA
ROU
ND
EL
ECTR
ICIT
Y!
For M
ore
Info
rma
tion
ww
w.e
lec
tric
sho
ckd
row
ning
.org
Kevi
n R
itz50
3-70
9-56
49ke
vin
tritz
@g
ma
il.c
om
Da
vid
Rifk
in90
4-38
2-78
68ES
DPA
@c
om
ca
st.n
et
LOST
TO
ESD
…
1. W
hat i
s ES
D?
It’s
a d
row
ning
resu
lting
fro
m p
ara
lysis
ca
use
d b
y e
lec
tric
al c
urre
nts
in th
ew
ate
r. If
the
ele
ctr
ic c
urre
nt is
hig
h e
noug
h, e
lec
tro
cut
ion
oc
cur
s.
2. W
hat c
aus
es
ESD
?El
ec
tric
ity le
aki
ng in
to w
ate
r aro
und
bo
ats
and
do
cks
usin
g e
lec
tric
al
po
we
r. T
hese
lea
ks c
om
e fr
om
faul
ty e
lec
tric
al e
qui
pm
ent
and
wiri
ng, a
nd im
pro
pe
r gro
und
-in
g.
Bew
are
, it m
ay
co
me
fro
m a
ne
ighb
or’
s d
oc
k.
3. H
ow
muc
h e
lec
tric
ity c
aus
es
inju
ry o
r de
ath
?A
s lit
tle a
s 10
milli
am
ps
(1/5
0th
the
cur
rent
use
d b
y a
60
wa
tt li
ght
bul
b)
ca
n c
aus
e p
ara
lysis
/dro
wni
ng.
Sixt
y m
illia
mp
s in
the
bo
dy
ca
n c
aus
e h
ea
rt fa
ilure
.
4. Is
ESD
a c
om
mo
n p
rob
lem
?H
und
red
s o
f inj
urie
s a
nd d
ea
ths
have
be
en
do
cum
ent
ed
(co
uld
be
ma
ny, m
any
mo
re).
It i
s o
nly
by
witn
ess
rep
ort
s o
r inv
est
iga
tion
tha
t the
se e
vent
sc
an
be
att
ribut
ed
to E
SD.
5. W
hy is
fres
hwa
ter m
ore
da
nger
ous?
In fr
eshw
ate
r the
hum
an
bod
y is
muc
h m
ore
cond
uc-
tive
tha
n th
e w
ate
r its
elf.
So
, mo
re c
urre
nt fl
ow
s thr
oug
h th
e b
od
y in
fre
shw
ate
r tha
n in
saltw
ate
r.
6. W
hy a
re w
e sw
imm
ing
arou
nd d
ocks
and
boa
ts p
ower
ed w
ith e
lect
ricity
?It’
s our
cultu
re.
We
have
alw
ays
use
d la
kes,
river
s, a
nd p
ond
s fo
r sw
imm
ing
. T
hen
we
ad
ded
ele
ctric
ity to
the
doc
ks fo
r lig
hts,
boa
ts, a
pp
lianc
es. B
ut sw
imm
ing
per
sists
in lig
ht o
f the
da
nger
ele
ctric
ity p
rese
nts.
7. If
yo
u fe
el a
ting
le?
- St
op
! Tu
rn a
roun
d. G
o b
ac
k to
whe
re th
ere
wa
s no
ting
le.
Swim
aw
ay!
Wa
rn o
the
rs.
Ge
t out
and
turn
off
po
we
r any
wa
y yo
u c
an.
8. If
you
witn
ess
an
ESD
?Tu
rn p
ow
er o
ff, th
row
a li
fe ri
ng, t
ry to
mo
ve th
e p
ers
on
aw
ay
with
a n
onc
ond
uctiv
e p
ole
or o
bje
ct.
Do
n’t p
ull t
he p
ers
on
tow
ard
to th
e d
oc
k. D
O N
OT
JUM
P IN
TO
HEL
P (y
ou
will
be
co
me
a c
asu
alty
). C
all
911!
9. H
ow c
an
ESD
be
pre
vent
ed?
a. D
on’t
swim
aro
und
dock
s an
d bo
ats
usin
g el
ectri
city
!! C
onsi
der t
he E
NTI
RE d
ock
dang
erou
s.•
Find
a s
wim
min
g lo
ca
tion
at l
ea
st 5
0 yd
s fro
m a
ny e
lec
tric
ally
-po
we
red
do
cks
.•
Post
sig
ns a
roun
d y
our
do
ck
to n
otif
y o
the
rs o
f the
po
tent
ial d
ang
ers
. Ex
am
ple
: “N
O S
WIM
MIN
G, D
AN
GER
OF
ELEC
TRO
CUT
ION
”b.
Fol
low
cur
rent
cod
es a
nd s
tand
ards
. NFP
A 7
0 (N
EC) a
nd N
FPA
303
(Ma
rina
s a
nd B
oa
tya
rds)
ad
dre
ss e
lec
tric
al s
tand
ard
s a
nd in
spe
ctio
n re
qui
rem
ent
s fo
r do
ck
and
ma
rina
sa
fety
(ww
w.n
fpa
.org
). T
he A
me
rica
n Bo
at a
nd Y
ac
ht C
oun
cil
(ABY
C) c
ove
rs e
lec
tric
al s
tand
ard
s fo
rb
oa
ts (w
ww
.ab
ycin
c.o
rg).
•C
od
es
and
sta
nda
rds
pro
tec
t whe
n w
ate
r is
ent
ere
d a
cc
ide
nta
lly.
•In
sta
ll g
roun
d fa
ult p
rote
ctio
n o
n a
ll e
lec
tric
al s
yste
ms
use
d b
y d
oc
ks a
nd b
oa
ts.
•In
spe
ct a
ll d
oc
k a
nd b
oa
t ele
ctri
ca
l sys
tem
s a
nnua
lly a
nd a
fter p
erio
ds
of v
iole
nt w
ea
the
r.•
Onl
y a
llow
ele
ctri
ca
l wo
rk a
nd in
spe
ctio
n b
y lic
ens
ed
or o
the
rwise
qua
lifie
d p
ers
onn
el.
c. S
prea
d th
e w
ord
abou
t thi
s da
nger
in y
our l
ocal
com
mun
ity.
Dist
ribut
e li
tera
ture
like
this
bro
chu
re.
Visi
t the
Ele
ctri
c S
hoc
k D
row
ning
Pre
vent
ion
Ass
oc
iatio
n w
eb
site
(ww
w.e
lec
tric
sho
ckd
row
ning
.org
) fo
r mo
re in
form
atio
n a
nd re
sour
ce
s.
Ele
ctr
ic S
ho
ck
Dro
wn
ing
(ES
D)
Da
nge
r lur
ks c
lose
r to
hom
e th
an
you
thin
k…N
eve
r sw
im a
rou
nd
do
cks
an
d b
oa
ts
po
we
red
with
ele
ctr
icity
!!
Ele
ctr
icity
Is a
Sw
ift K
ille
rIn
visi
ble
- O
do
rless
- S
ilent
Co
nsid
er t
hese
sim
ple
que
stio
ns:
•W
ou
ld y
ou
plu
g in
an
d u
se a
ne
lec
tric
al a
pp
lian
ce
wh
ileta
kin
g a
ba
th?
•D
o y
ou
rea
lize
th
at
a b
oa
t w
itha
n e
lec
tric
al c
ord
is a
“plu
gg
ed
-in”
ap
plia
nc
e?
An
dth
e w
ate
r aro
un
d t
he
bo
at
islik
e t
he
ba
thtu
b?
•C
an
yo
u s
ee
an
y in
he
ren
td
an
ge
rs in
run
nin
g e
lec
tric
ityto
do
cks
exp
ose
d t
o t
he
ha
rsh
ma
rine
en
viro
nm
en
t?
•H
ow
we
ll d
o w
ate
r an
de
lec
tric
ity m
ix?
No
t ve
ry w
ell,
as
we
all
kno
w.
ELEC
TRIC
SH
OC
K D
ROW
NIN
G (
ESD
) Q
& A
NO
SW
IMM
ING
AR
OU
ND
ELE
CTR
ICIT
Y!