FirstEnergy
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FirstEnergy Hosts Electrical Safety Demo for Local Students

Oct. 20, 2022
The utility teamed up with the Cleveland Guardians on the educational presentation.

It’s never too early to learn about electrical safety. That’s why FirstEnergy recently teamed up with the Cleveland Guardians to host a live electrical safety demonstration for more than 200 students at Almira PreK-8 Academy in Cleveland, Ohio. 

Almira students were treated to an attention-grabbing educational show featuring flying sparks, booms and more. The controlled safety display was provided by FirstEnergy’s utility personnel and included the use of an energized transformer to send electricity through various everyday materials, including a metal ladder to simulate what occurs when it contacts a power line.

The demonstration highlighted the importance of staying far away from power lines and electrical equipment. Students were also reminded to never retrieve a kite or any type of object that is caught in power lines. Instead, they should ask an adult to call 888-LIGHTSS (888-544-4877), and a FirstEnergy employee will be dispatched to help. 

To help ensure the day was a memorable one, Cleveland Guardians pitcher Zach Plesac toured the school and talked with students and staff before he joined them to watch FirstEnergy’s electrical safety demonstration. 

“It was an honor to team up with our local electric company to meet amazing kids and teachers while helping to encourage them to stay safe around electricity,” said Plesac.

The team effort by FirstEnergy and the Cleveland Guardians will leave a lasting impact for students and staff, according to Almira principal Jim Greene.

“Thanks to FirstEnergy’s amazing presentation and Zach Plesac taking the time to become familiar with our school, we’re all going home with incredible stories and important electrical safety tips to share with our families,” said Greene. 

Almira’s student body represents more than 20 different countries with a broad range of cultures and traditions, Greene said. This means the electrical safety lessons provided through this partnership will be shared with families with backgrounds that reach far and wide.

“This is one of many efforts that reflect our daily focus on safety, which extends beyond our employees and into the communities we serve,” said Chad Stoneking, director of Safety Operations for FirstEnergy Utilities. “By demonstrating basic electrical safety concepts in a fun and exciting way, and by leveraging our partnership with the Cleveland Guardians, we are encouraging kids to share potentially life-saving information with their friends and family for years to come.”

The safety demonstration is part of FirstEnergy’s “Stop. Look. Live.” electrical safety public education campaign. The campaign features engaging and memorable initiatives to help protect targeted groups that are most at risk of encountering electrical safety hazards, including first-responder organizations and contractors. The campaign also features an educational program for children.

Visit www.firstenergycorp.com/publicsafety for more information.

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