Northeast Ohio Balloon Festival Attendees Can Learn Important Electrical Safety Tips at Live Demo

Ohio Edison will hold interactive demonstrations on how to stay safe around electricity

AKRON, Ohio, Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ohio Edison, a FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) electric company, is bringing its live wire electrical safety trailer to the upcoming Balloon A-Fair in downtown Ravenna, Portage County, on Saturday, Sept. 21. Using the trailer's 7,200-kilovolt power lines, company employees will demonstrate the power of electricity, how to recognize dangerous conditions and, most important, how to stay safe around power lines and electrical equipment.

The trailer and an information booth will be held in the "Motor Alley" section of the festival, with demonstrations taking place at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.

Torrence Hinton, FirstEnergy's Ohio President: "Safety is a top priority for our company, and this is a great opportunity to educate people of all ages about how to stay safe and avoid accidental contact with power lines and electrical equipment. I look forward to attending this event and promoting the importance of electrical safety within our local communities."

The trailer includes much of the electrical equipment seen in neighborhoods: power lines, transformers, equipment taking overhead power into underground systems and sample homes receiving both overhead and underground service. Powered by a generator, the trailer allows Ohio Edison crews to show observers in a controlled environment the importance of staying safe and aware of live wires.

Trained Ohio Edison facilitators will depict some of the most common causes of power outages, such as animals contacting equipment or tree branches falling on lines, as well as the hazards first responders face when approaching vehicles that may be in contact with live wires.

The crews will also highlight the importance of avoiding contact with electrical lines when using common household objects such as ladders, kites and shovels. Crews will simulate contact between objects and the trailer's power lines, causing bright and startling electrical arcs that demonstrate the dangerous power of electricity.

Safety trailer demonstrations are just one component of FirstEnergy's "Stop. Look. Live." corporate safety campaign to help educate the public and keep people safe from live wires and other electrical hazards. For more safety tips, including videos, please visit FirstEnergy's public safety website.

This year's event will be the 45^th  Ravenna Balloon A-Fair held in Downtown Ravenna, Ohio and Sunbeau Valley Farm. The event takes place Sept. 19-22. More information, including the schedule of events, can be found on the event website.

Ohio Edison serves more than 1 million customers across 34 Ohio counties. Follow Ohio Edison on X @OhioEdison and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OhioEdison.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving more than six million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate more than 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and on X @FirstEnergyCorp.

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.