Safety Sense
Electricity not Fear-ed enough on TV
As the popularity of reality television shows continues, viewers should remember that the stunts contestants perform on certain programs have been carefully coordinated and repeatedly tested by a professional production crew. Trying to re-enact such stunts outside a controlled environment is likely to result in a different -- and dangerous -- outcome.
For instance, a stunt featured in the Jan. 31 episode of NBC’s Fear Factor required team members to navigate a maze of energized wires to retrieve flags. Contact with a wire would send electrical voltage into contestants’ bodies. In real life, this sort of behavior would be extremely hazardous, possibly even fatal. That’s why West Florida Electric Cooperative encourages parents to teach their children to "be aware and beware" at all times around electricity.
"Children often are influenced by what they see on television, and this type of stunt could give them the mistaken impression that it’s alright to play around substations and other dangerous electrical equipment," said WFEC Manager of Loss Control and Operations Services Donnie Worley. "We at West Florida Electric continually strive to teach children to stay away from substations and power lines and be aware of electricity’s potential for harm."
WFEC’s efforts to educate children about electrical safety include safety demonstrations, such as Safety City, at schools throughout Calhoun, Holmes, Jackson and Washington Counties. "Our attempts to teach children electrical safety awareness are useless if children believe misinformation they acquire elsewhere," Worley said. "We urge parents to be aware of what television content their children are watching and take the opportunity to reinforce safe habits through family discussions."
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