Valley agencies partner up to show dangers of monsoon season
PHOENIX (FOX 10) - The City of Phoenix along with SRP, APS, Arizona State University and the National Weather Service wants to make sure you're ready for monsoon season, and that's why today at the Phoenix Fire training facility they hosted the Valley's annual largest media preparedness day!
First up, a demonstration by Scott, an APS lineman, to show the importance of staying away from power lines using the "weenie wagon."
"We have microbursts, big storms and it has a tendency to knock some of our power poles down and even after a car accident if people are exposed to that, they come across it," he said. "We just want to promote that message that it's really important to stay away from it, at least 100 feet. If you come across it, call 911, call us, we'll come out and make sure it's safe."
Next, driving in monsoons can be very tricky, especially when you're caught off-guard. A big concern is hydroplaning -- when the surface of your tires does not touch the surface of the road.
Sgt. Tommy Thompson says it can take just a small amount of water and speed as low as 35 mph to spin out of control.
"When it comes to any kind of storm, people should remember to drive slow, slow down and if they can avoid driving, just don't drive at that time," he said.
Finally, if you get in a situation with a power pole or power lines, representatives from SRP say don't try and exit your vehicle, but rather call for help immediately.
But if you absolutely have to, say if there's a fire and you need to get out, shuffle with your feet together or hop with your legs closed to safety.
"We're talking about down power lines with monsoon storms and things like this, distracted driving can be an issue, hitting it's not just overhead but also underground the powerlines there," lineman Kyle said.