# SWP - Downed Power Lines and Utility Emergencies
> Fire Service Safety Management System, version 0.3.3 (2026-10-25). The Human Factor. Document FSSMS-SWP-28.
>
> Canonical: https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-downed-power-lines-and-utility-emergencies
>
> Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 with the Adopting Agency Grant (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
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> General information only, not legal, medical or other professional advice. Verify every requirement against the current official text of the law, standards and manufacturer instructions that apply to you. Obtain your own legal review and consult your joint health and safety committee before adopting anything. You adopt, adapt, implement and rely on this material entirely at your own risk and on your own responsibility. Full terms: Terms of Use, thehumanfactor.ca.
> **Warning: Adoption without implementation increases legal exposure**
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> Adopting this procedure without the training, equipment, supervision, verification and resources to carry it out as written increases municipal and command liability in a regulatory investigation or a fatality inquiry. See [00a Copyright, Licence and Legal Notices](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/copyright-licence-and-legal-notices).
> **Speak up: Speak up**
>
> Anyone can stop this task if it looks wrong. Say the hazard, then the action: “Stop. That wire is on the fence and the fence runs to the car. Everybody back to the truck.” The officer acknowledges, acts, and reviews it later for learning, never for blame. The one debrief question for this task: did we assume every wire was live and every reading was real until the utility proved otherwise?
## 1. Task and when this applies
Operating where electrical conductors are down, damaged or in contact with vehicles, structures, fences, trees or water; positioning apparatus, ladders and aerials near intact overhead lines; and responding to natural gas and propane leaks, odours and fires. It applies at motor vehicle collisions, storm response, structure fires, wildland fires, rescues and any call where a utility is involved. Electrical safety in stations and shops is under [Facilities and Station Safety Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/facilities-and-station-safety-program) (CSA Z462:24).
## 2. Hazards
- Electrocution from contact with a downed conductor, or with anything in contact with it: vehicles, guardrails, fences, puddles, wet ground, trees, metal siding.
- Step and touch potential: voltage gradients in the ground around a downed conductor that can kill a person walking toward it.
- Aerial device or ground ladder contact with an overhead line; multiple firefighter deaths have occurred this way (NIOSH, n.d.-b).
- Lines that are dead one minute and re-energized the next by automatic reclosers or by the utility.
- Natural gas or propane accumulating to a flammable concentration in a building, a trench or a low area; ignition by a switch, a flashlight, a doorbell or an apparatus; explosion; BLEVE of a propane tank exposed to fire (MLITSD, n.d., GN 6-47).
- Carbon monoxide from fuel-burning appliances and generators.
- Long waits for the utility leaving crews in a hazardous position.
## 3. Controls in hierarchy order
| Level | Control |
|:---|:---|
| Elimination | Nobody approaches a downed conductor or anything in contact with it; nobody enters a building at a flammable reading; occupants of an energized vehicle stay inside unless fire forces them out |
| Substitution | Let the utility de-energize and confirm rather than attempting isolation; let a gas-fed fire burn under control rather than extinguishing it with the supply still open |
| Engineering | Limits of approach for apparatus, ladders and aerials; four-gas instrument with LEL; non-contact voltage detectors where carried; apparatus positioning; roadway blocking |
| Administrative | This procedure; the standoff distance; utility notification and written or radio confirmation of de-energization before approach; LEL action levels; evacuation distances; ignition control; utility pre-plans and annual joint training |
| PPE | Full structural PPE; SCBA in any building with a gas reading or CO reading; dielectric gloves and insulated tools only where carried, tested and the member trained, and never as a substitute for distance |
## 4. Required PPE and equipment
Full structural PPE; SCBA; four-gas instrument bumped that day; scene tape and cones; the utility’s emergency numbers (electric and gas) on every apparatus; binoculars; a thermal imager; dielectric gloves and non-contact voltage detector where the department carries them, with current test records; roadway blocking per [SWP - Roadway Incident Scene Blocking](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-roadway-incident-scene-blocking).
## 5. Minimum staffing and competencies
A company officer and crew with electrical awareness training (recruit) and the annual utility session; an instrument-trained member for gas calls; the ISO at any incident where a line is in contact with a vehicle with occupants, at any gas leak inside an occupied building, and at any propane tank fire; a utility representative at every downed-line and gas leak incident.
## 6. Step-by-step procedure
### Downed or damaged electrical conductors
1. Assume every conductor is energized until the utility confirms, in person or by radio through dispatch with the time recorded, that it is de-energized and will stay that way. Telephone and cable lines can be energized by contact with power lines.
2. Establish a standoff of at least 10 m (33 ft) from the conductor and from anything in contact with it; expand the zone for high-voltage transmission lines and whenever the voltage is unknown. Tape it, announce it, and keep the public and members out.
3. Notify the utility through dispatch with the exact location, what is down and what it is touching; ask for the estimated time of arrival and tell command.
4. **Decision point: is a vehicle in contact with a line, with occupants inside?** Tell the occupants from outside the zone to stay in the vehicle and not to touch the frame and the ground at the same time; do not approach; wait for the utility. If fire forces them out, instruct them to jump clear with both feet together, land without touching the vehicle, and shuffle away with small steps keeping both feet on the ground until well outside the zone. Rescuers do not enter the zone.
5. Never cut, move or lift a conductor, and never allow a tow operator or the public to. Never use a tool, a pike pole or a hose stream to move a wire.
6. No water streams onto or near energized equipment; a fog stream from a distance only where the ISO and command agree it is needed for exposure protection, and never a straight stream.
7. Lines in trees, on fences or in water extend the zone along the whole conductor path; a fence or guardrail can be energized along its length.
8. At structure fires, the utility disconnects at the pole or the meter; crews do not pull meters unless the department’s utility has trained and authorized them; once disconnected, the service is tagged and the tag is recorded.
### Apparatus, ladders and aerials near intact overhead lines
9. Identify overhead lines on the 360 and announce them. Position apparatus so that the aerial’s full range of movement stays outside the limit of approach.
10. The limits of approach for equipment, including aerials and ladders, are set by the applicable regulation ([J19 Lockout, Machine Guarding and Electrical Safety](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j19-lockout-machine-guarding-and-electrical-safety)). Where the voltage is unknown, use the largest distance.
11. A spotter watches the aerial or the ladder at all times near lines; ground ladders are raised and lowered clear of lines with the spotter directing.
12. **If an aerial or apparatus contacts a line:** nobody touches the apparatus; the operator stays on the apparatus unless fire forces them off, and then jumps clear with feet together as in step 4; the utility is called; the zone is set around the apparatus.
### Natural gas and propane leaks
13. Approach from upwind and uphill; stage apparatus and non-essential members at least 100 m from a major leak, the Emergency Response Guidebook’s initial isolation distance for a flammable gas leak [(Transport Canada, 2024)](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-downed-power-lines-and-utility-emergencies#ref-transport-canada-2024), and, for a propane tank exposed to fire, use the Guidebook’s tank-fire isolation and evacuation distance for the product, which is far greater than the leak distance, wherever BLEVE is possible ([Transport Canada, 2024](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-downed-power-lines-and-utility-emergencies#ref-transport-canada-2024); MLITSD, n.d., GN 6-47).
14. No ignition sources: no switches on or off, no doorbells, no flashlights other than intrinsically safe, no radios inside the flammable zone, apparatus engines off where the reading requires, no smoking, no vehicles through the zone.
15. Meter from the exterior first, then at the door, then inside, continuously; log the readings ([Form - Hazmat Entry Log and Air Monitoring Record](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-hazmat-entry-log-and-air-monitoring-record)).
16. **Decision point: what is the LEL reading?** Below 10 per cent: entry in SCBA to locate the source and ventilate may proceed with continuous monitoring. At or above 10 per cent: leave or do not enter, ventilate from the exterior where it can be done without creating an ignition source, evacuate occupants. At or above 20 per cent: no entry under any circumstances, evacuate the building and the exposures, and wait for the utility.
17. Isolate at the meter valve (a quarter turn) where the crew is trained; the curb valve and the main are the utility’s to operate, not the department’s, unless the utility has trained and authorized the department. Tag any valve closed and record it; do not reopen a valve the department closed; the utility restores service.
18. Outside leaks: the zone is set from the readings, not from the smell; excavation strikes are isolated by the utility, with the excavator stopped and the operator kept clear; traffic blocked.
19. A gas-fed fire is not extinguished while the supply is open; protect exposures and wait for the utility to isolate, unless a life hazard requires otherwise and command decides it.
20. Carbon monoxide calls: SCBA on entry; meter; ventilate; identify the appliance; the utility or a licensed contractor isolates and inspects; occupants to EHS at the department’s symptom and reading thresholds.
> **Warning: Stop-work triggers**
>
> Stop and withdraw, and tell command, when: any member is inside the 10 m zone of a downed conductor or anything in contact with it; the utility has not confirmed de-energization and the plan depends on it; an aerial or ladder is approaching the limit of approach; a reading inside a building reaches 10 per cent LEL; any reading reaches 20 per cent LEL; a propane tank is exposed to fire; an ignition source is about to be operated in the zone; the wind shifts the gas toward the apparatus or the corridor.
### Termination
21. The utility’s confirmation and the valve or service tags are recorded; readings logged; exposure reports for any member in a gas or CO atmosphere; hot debrief; triage under [Incident Investigation and Learning Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/incident-investigation-and-learning-program).
## 7. Emergency and contingency
- **Member or civilian in contact with a conductor:** do not touch them; the utility de-energizes; only then approach; cardiac emergency; EHS.
- **Explosion or flash fire:** emergency traffic; PAR; EHS; expand the zone; expect a second event.
- **Apparatus energized:** as in step 12.
- **Utility delayed:** hold the zone, rotate crews through rehab, escalate through dispatch to the utility’s supervisor; do not improvise isolation.
- **Reclosure energizes a “dead” line:** this is why nobody approaches without confirmation; if it happens, withdraw and re-establish the zone.
## 8. Documentation and reporting
Incident record with the utility notification time, the confirmation of de-energization (who, how, when), valve and service tags, meter readings with times, exposure reports, and any near miss (contact, approach inside the limit, entry at a flammable reading) reported through the near-miss system and triaged (Tier 2 for any contact, flash fire or entry above 10 per cent LEL).
## 9. Training and review
Electrical awareness in recruit training; an annual session with the department’s electric and gas utilities covering limits of approach, downed-line scenarios, meter isolation where authorized, and reclosers; annual instrument sign-off for LEL and CO; officers: the decision points in the annual command simulation. The Hazardous Materials and Fire Suppression teams jointly review this procedure annually and after any utility incident with a stop-work trigger, with a learning-team session first. Sign-off: the program managers; consulted: the JOHSC and the utilities.
## 10. Related
- Programs: [Hazardous Materials, CBRN and Energy Hazards Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/hazardous-materials-cbrn-and-energy-hazards-program) section 5.12; [Emergency Operations Safety Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/emergency-operations-safety-program) sections 5.8 and 5.16; [Facilities and Station Safety Program](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/facilities-and-station-safety-program).
- Policies: [Policy - Hazardous Materials and WHMIS](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-hazardous-materials-and-whmis); [Policy - Emergency Operations Safety](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/policy-emergency-operations-safety).
- Procedures: [SWP - Solar PV and Energy Storage Systems](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-solar-pv-and-energy-storage-systems); [SWP - EV and Lithium Battery Fire](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-ev-and-lithium-battery-fire); [SWP - Roadway Incident Scene Blocking](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-roadway-incident-scene-blocking); [SWP - Aerial Device Operations](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-aerial-device-operations); [SWP - Ground Ladder Operations](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/swp-ground-ladder-operations).
- Forms: [Form - Hazmat Entry Log and Air Monitoring Record](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/form-hazmat-entry-log-and-air-monitoring-record).
> **Note: Customize**
>
> Confirm with the department’s electric utility the standoff distance for downed lines, the expanded distance for transmission voltages, the fog-stream distance, which isolations (meters, valves) the utility has trained and authorized the department to perform, and the utility emergency numbers; confirm the LEL and CO action levels with the medical adviser; record the annual joint training date.
## Jurisdiction requirements
This chapter relies on the following legal requirements, which differ by province and territory. Check your jurisdiction’s section on each topic page before adopting it.
| Topic | What to check in your jurisdiction | Page |
|:---|:---|:---|
| Lockout, Machine Guarding and Electrical Safety | The minimum approach distances to energized overhead conductors by voltage, and the electrical and gas code and licensing rules for station and shop work | [J19 Lockout, Machine Guarding and Electrical Safety](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j19-lockout-machine-guarding-and-electrical-safety) |
| Emergency Vehicles, Drivers and Licensing | The traffic rules that protect a utility incident on a roadway, including the move-over rule | [J30 Emergency Vehicles, Drivers and Licensing](https://thehumanfactor.ca/library/fire-service-safety/j30-emergency-vehicles-drivers-and-licensing) |
## References
CSA Group. (2024). *CSA Z462:24, Workplace electrical safety* (6th ed.; based on NFPA 70E).
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health \[NIOSH\]. (n.d.-b). *Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program* \[Program website and investigation reports\]. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development \[MLITSD\]. (n.d.). *Firefighter guidance notes* (Section 21 Advisory Committee; individual notes revised to 2026).
Transport Canada. (2024). *2024 Emergency response guidebook* (with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation of Mexico).