On Wednesday, April 25 Overton Power crews set up at Virgin Valley High School to demonstrate to the students how dangerous a high voltage power line can be. This photo illustrates the devastating effects of human contact with a high voltage power line. The demonstrator touched a small hole in the safety glove. Electricity traveled through the contact point and blew up a hot dog that was attached to the middle of the dummy. Photo by Teri Nehrenz

On Wednesday, April 25, Overton Power held a High Voltage Safety Demonstration for the Virgin Valley High School Students.  The demonstration was facilitated by Cory Dalley, a foreman at the Overton plant, and three members of the Mesquite crew.

The demonstration was all about high voltage safety, what to do if you come across a downed powerline and the basics of how high voltage works.

According to Keith Buchhalter, public affairs specialist for Overton Power, the program is part of the community outreach and education program. “Overton Power is not just about delivering power to homes, part of our mission statement is to educate the community on safety at every level we can because safety is our number one concern for the community and electricity is dangerous,” Buchhalter said.

The demonstration included how to identify underground power lines and what to do if you come across a downed power line.

By the reactions of the crowd, the most impressive part of the demonstration was when the OP crew showed them what happens if you touch a high voltage line.

Students had the opportunity to try on the safety equipment the power line crews work with and to see how they actually keep the workers from being electrocuted while working on live wires.

There were a total of five demonstrations held on the lawn that day, however, during the 10:30 a.m. demonstration the school was put on Hard Lockdown and the students ushered back inside.

Buchhalter, the Overton Power crew and the MLN were dumfounded about what was going on for about two minutes until Buchhalter received a text from the new Mesquite Police Emergency Notification System about the pursuit of a suspect.

Some very important lessons were learned that day by both the student body and facilitators. The students learned many lessons about the dangers of electricity and the facilitators learned that the Police Emergency Notification System is a good thing.

For more information on electricity, tips and what you need to know about safety, visit Overton Power’s Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/OvertonPower/.