SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
With summer in full swing and the Fourth of July holiday just days away,
many families are preparing to celebrate Independence Day with
fireworks, barbecues and outdoor activities. Whether you’re having a
pool party, firing up the grill, staying indoors or visiting a park,
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) urges its customers to celebrate
safely and responsibly.
Electric hazards, heat-related illnesses and water and fire risks can
occur if proper precautions aren’t taken. PG&E offers the following tips
to help customers stay safe this Independence Day and throughout the
summer:
FIREWORKS SAFETY
-
The safest way to enjoy fireworks is to attend a public fireworks show
put on by professionals.
-
First and foremost, know what the local regulations allow.
Make yourself aware of your surroundings—stay clear of power
lines, structures, dry grass or flammable materials when shooting your
own fireworks in areas approved by local regulations.
-
If a firework strikes electric equipment or causes a power line to
come down, stay away, keep others away and immediately call 911 and
PG&E at 1-800-743-5000. Always assume downed electric lines are
energized and extremely dangerous. Never attempt to retrieve anything
that is tangled in or near a power line.
SUMMER SAFETY
-
Keep alert for local weather conditions. Check to see if any warning
signs or flags are posted at beaches or parks you’re visiting.
-
Make sure everyone has proper skills to swim and keep an eye on young
children and check flotation devices for leaks.
-
Every child under 13 must wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket when
on a moving vessel that is 26 feet or less in length.
-
Don't dive or jump into unfamiliar water. Shallow water or submerged
trees or rocks could cause serious injury.
-
Don't swim or play near a dam or powerhouse; these areas can have
strong underwater currents, sudden water discharges, slippery surfaces
and submerged hazards.
-
Never use generators, propane heaters, barbecues or charcoal indoors
due to carbon monoxide risks.
HEAT SAFETY
-
Limit exposure to direct sunlight between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and wear
a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a protection factor of at least 15.
Reapply sunscreen often.
-
Drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol or caffeine when temperatures
are high.
-
During hot weather, watch for signs of heat stroke—hot, red skin;
changes in consciousness; rapid, weak pulse; rapid, shallow breathing.
If it’s suspected someone is suffering from heat stroke, call 9-1-1
and move the person to a cooler place and use cold towels to help
lower their body temperature until help arrives.
OUTAGE SAFETY
-
Use battery-operated flashlights, and not candles, due to the risk of
fire.
-
Customers with generators should make sure they are properly installed
by a licensed electrician in a well-ventilated area.
-
Freeze plastic containers filled with water to make blocks of ice that
can be placed in your refrigerator/freezer during an outage to prevent
foods from spoiling.
-
Customers can get updates on outages in their neighborhood through a
variety of channels.
-
Contact our outage information line at 1-800-743-5002
-
Access our Electric Outage Map online at pge.com
-
Customers can also log-in to their account through pge.com
and sign up to receive proactive outage alerts through email, text
or phone
PG&E reminds customers to update their contact information at www.pge.com/mywildfirealerts.
For more tips on how to safely navigate the fun summer recreational
activities, visit PG&E’s Summer
Safety Guide. The guide is also available in Spanish
and Chinese.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas
and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San
Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of
the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and
Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com
and www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/index.page.
View source version on businesswire.com:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180702005867/en/
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Mayra Tostado, 415-973-5930
Source: Pacific Gas and Electric Company