Service Disconnect

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Wouldn't be better for firefighters if homeowners were required to do any of the following?

  • Smoke hatches on roof so roof work is not required.
  • Build with noncombustible products
  • Put very large house address numbers out at the street
  • An exterior beacon to flash when a call is put in.
  • Plans of the home located on the wall near the door.


I have nothing against firefighters but those all see to me to be choices the homeowner should make.
 
Would arc flash really be an issue for a single family dwelling with a typical 120/240 volt, 200 amp service?
 
infinity said:
Would arc flash really be an issue for a single family dwelling with a typical 120/240 volt, 200 amp service?
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Potential for arc flash still exists.
The incident energy level is normally less then you may encounter at a non dwelling application but not necessarily all non dwelling applications. Before even getting into what 70E might require for PPE, it is probably wise to wear safety glasses and gloves at the very least when doing such tasks.
 
kwired said:
Potential for arc flash still exists.
The incident energy level is normally less then you may encounter at a non dwelling application but not necessarily all non dwelling applications. Before even getting into what 70E might require for PPE, it is probably wise to wear safety glasses and gloves at the very least when doing such tasks.
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After Sandy hit around here the POCO was pulling meters all over the place. I asked one of the linemen and he said that they do it all of the time.
 
iwire said:
Wouldn't be better for firefighters if homeowners were required to do any of the following?

  • Smoke hatches on roof so roof work is not required.
  • Build with noncombustible products
  • Put very large house address numbers out at the street
  • An exterior beacon to flash when a call is put in.
  • Plans of the home located on the wall near the door.


I have nothing against firefighters but those all see to me to be choices the homeowner should make.
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Yes, I see that as an owners choice, but the owner should be aware of the local fire department SOPs before making that choice. Some SOPs prohibit the use of water until the power is off. These SOPs are somewhat misguided as a study done for the US Navy on using water on energized electrical equipment showed that with a combination type nozzle at 100psi and equipment energized at 220 volts AC, no current was detected where the nozzle was operated on a straight stream setting and 8 or more feet away from the energized equipment. The distance required to show no current was reduced to less than 2' where the nozzle was operated in a 30? fog setting.

The real danger with water and electrical fires is where there is energized lines touching standing water.

In some rural areas, some FD members have been trained on using hot sticks to either pull a cutout where the transformer serves a single customer or cut the hot conductors of the service drop at the pole where the transformer serves multiple customers.
 
iwire said:
Wouldn't be better for firefighters if homeowners were required to do any of the following?


  • [
  • An exterior beacon to flash when a call is put in.
  • Plans of the home located on the wall near the door.


.
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Wired a six bedroom facility (in a single family neighborhood) for six adults with disabilities. Yes an exterior fire alarm beacon and laminated floor plan at front door were required.
Most fire departments here no longer pull the meter.
 
I recall a situation where an electrical inspector (large town)/ volunteer fireman was on a fire call to a golf driving range with office building. Their standard procedure was to turn off power. He pulled the meter & then said it was off! Happened to be a CT service :jawdrop: Luckily no one was injured:happyyes:
 
JDB3 said:
I recall a situation where an electrical inspector (large town)/ volunteer fireman was on a fire call to a golf driving range with office building. Their standard procedure was to turn off power. He pulled the meter & then said it was off! Happened to be a CT service :jawdrop: Luckily no one was injured:happyyes:
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Damn. Lucky. Around here all CT metered services have a sticker stating "Pulling Meter Does Not Disconnect Power"
 
iwire said:
Wouldn't be better for firefighters if homeowners were required to do any of the following?

  • Smoke hatches on roof so roof work is not required.
  • Build with noncombustible products
  • Put very large house address numbers out at the street
  • An exterior beacon to flash when a call is put in.
  • Plans of the home located on the wall near the door.
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John120/240 said:
... Around here all CT metered services have a sticker stating "Pulling Meter Does Not Disconnect Power"
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Well shucks, one more thing to add to the list......
 
102 Inspector said:
. . . but as a homeowner, do I really want my neighbor to be able to walk up and shut my power off any time he feels like it?
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I hear that fear quite often and always think it is a silly thing to worry about. He can already shut off my water at the meter, or my phone and internet with wire cutters but he never does. He can break window, come in and make himself a cup of coffee (during the day when no one is home), but if he has, he must have washed coffee pot and replaced window.
 
don_resqcapt19 said:
In some rural areas, some FD members have been trained on using hot sticks to either pull a cutout where the transformer serves a single customer or cut the hot conductors of the service drop at the pole where the transformer serves multiple customers.
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Around here everything is rural or at least small village or town, fire departments are all volunteer, with volunteers coming from various trades and professions, which does give you experts in different areas within the fire department, they do lean on different members in different situations for advice on how to proceed.

John120/240 said:
Damn. Lucky. Around here all CT metered services have a sticker stating "Pulling Meter Does Not Disconnect Power"
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I won't say I see it on all CT metered services here but I do see it often.
 
readydave8 said:
I hear that fear quite often and always think it is a silly thing to worry about.
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Yet not everyone thinks that.

I would not say I would worry about my neighbor so much as punk kids just screwing around.

He can already shut off my water at the meter, or my phone and internet with wire cutters but he never does. He can break window, come in and make himself a cup of coffee (during the day when no one is home), but if he has, he must have washed coffee pot and replaced window.
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That is a on another level than just flipping a switch.

Of course the NEC allows a lock on the switch so it can be handled that way. I just don't see the pressing need for another restriction of homeowners choices.
 
In Oklahoma last year we had to install a non fused disconnect before the meter.
It was a commercial building.
Turning off the disconnect Killed power to the meter and bldg.
 
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