Fire Department's Ladder 1 Gets Tangled with Suspected Power Line

 

SAN ANGELO, TX — A line of thunderstorms moved through San Angelo Saturday night with high winds, rain and pea-sized hail.

When prepping for the likely deluge of emergency calls afterwards, the San Angelo Fire Department moved Ladder 1 out. As the iconic fire truck of the San Angelo Fire Department drove east down College St. approaching N. Chadbourne St., what was feared to be a power line was hanging low due to wind damage. Ladder 1 drove into it and became tangled with the overhead wire.

The Fire Department called AEP, the power company, as firefighter personnel bailed out of the fire truck. But before AEP arrived, they determined that the low hanging wire now entangled with Ladder 1 was actually just a “communications line” for Internet or phone. There was no danger of electrocution.

The incident happened at around 9:30 p.m. Ladder 1 is untangled now, but Chadbourne at College is closed down because of the wire. A report over the radio said the wire was down from City Hall all the way to N. Oakes St. to the east.

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And so I guess what these "heroes" preach is not what they practice so it appears........... Every instruction I've ever heard preached by emergency responders is if you're car becomes entangled in high lines, to remain in the vehicle until rescue personnel can safely remove you. According to this story, these "heroes" bailed out of their fire truck, and then later on determined it was a communication line and cancelled the electric company, whom they had first called thinking it was a power line they were entangled in........

But I have a strong feeling that the story didn't include accurate details. If firefighters in their rig believed they had become entangled in powerlines, I'm certain they did not exit the vehicle. Most likely they remained inside until it was determined that the lines were not electrical transmission lines.

In the oilfield, gin truck operators were quite prone to tangle in overhead powerlines, and the outcome was never good. I do have to agree with you Ding-bat on this one... Truthfully, these guys are lucky it wasn't a downed line, could've been killed.

This wasn't my rig, but it "walked" the same way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXtwEZDqZAE

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