CALL BEFORE YOU DIG

If you are planning a project that requires digging, be sure to call Diggers Hotline at least three working days before you begin.

Call toll free: 1-800-630-9575 (24 hrs.)

Damaging a line is not only dangerous, it will also be expensive if you have not called.

Moose Lake Power: 485-4100 • Fax 485-8729

Here are some educational links:

Benjamin Franklin's Electricity Experiments

Electrical Safety

Energy Hotlist

Inventors

~ Frequently Asked Questions ~

Downed Power Lines

Landscaping with Care

Outdoor Electric Safety tips
Our beautiful Minnesota weather allows us to play and work outside almost all year 'round -- gardening, flying kites, picnicking, and fixing up around the house. Moose Lake Power offers a few safety tips to help you better enjoy these activities.

Indoor Electric Safety tips
Electricity is very important in our everyday lives. We use electricity to prepare our meals, to heat and cool our homes, to keep our homes neat and clean, and for lighting and entertainment. Electricity helps make living and working in the home easy, safe and fun - every day.
Electricity is also very powerful and can be dangerous if used improperly. Electricity travels at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second). If you come in contact with an electrical current, there is no warning, and there is no time to react.

What do you do with refrigerated foods if the power goes out?

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Downed Power Lines - Bright ideas for dark moments
Over the years, Moose Lake has faced fires, floods, hurricane-like conditions and ice storms. Although we can't control the weather, Moose Lake Power does have more than 65 years of experience in responding to such emergencies. We have an emergency plan of action in place and will work 24 hours a day until power is restored to all affected customers.

After reporting the power outage, use these suggestions to help keep your family safe:

• Never touch any fallen wire. Consider every wire on the ground to be energized and especially dangerous. Never assume a downed power line is insulated.
• Keep everyone away from downed power lines, including pets. Even if wires look harmless, they may be energized and potentially deadly. Never touch anything that is in contact with the wires, such as tree limbs or other objects.
• Check to see if elderly family members or neighbors need help. If there is a health problem or concern, seek medical attention immediately.
• Make sure your electric stove is off. If a burner is on and goes unnoticed after the power is restored, it could cause a fire.
• To conserve heat during an outage in cold weather, limit the number of times the outside door is opened.
• Do not connect a portable generator to your home's wiring system. Electricity feeding back into the power lines from portable generators can damage the home's electrical appliances, cause a fire, or cause injury or death to the linemen. Portable generators are designed to provide limited electricity to operate small tools. They are not intended to be connected to your home's wiring system.
• If you are involved in a traffic accident that results in power lines touching your car, do not get out of your car unless it is on fire. It is a myth that the tires protect you -- the metal of your car conducts electricity around you, as if you are a bird sitting on a power line. If you must get out of your car because of fire or other immediate life-threatening situation, do your best to jump clear of the car and land on both feet. Then shuffle away from the car, keeping both feet close together, to minimize the path of electric current and avoid electric shock. If you are at the scene of such an accident, do not approach a car that is touching power lines. Remain a safe distance away, keep the victim in the vehicle calm and wait for emergency personnel to handle the situation
  Never drive over downed power lines. Even if not energized, they can become entangled in your vehicle.
• Never touch downed power lines or use any object to move power lines, including brooms, boards, limbs or plastic materials. Although wood is non-conductive, if even slightly wet it will conduct electricity, causing electric shock or electrocution. Power lines can also slide down such objects when lifted.
• Never touch a person who is in contact with power lines or other objects that are touching power lines. You cannot help them by being electrocuted yourself.
• Do not attempt to cut or remove a tree that is, or could become, entangled with power lines. Contact Moose Lake Power for assistance and wait for a professional tree removal crew to do the job.
  

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Landscape With Care

• Call before you dig. Your utility can tell you the location of any underground lines.
• Don't plant tall-growing trees under power lines. If you have a tree with power lines running through it, don't climb it or build anything in it. Call Moose Lake Power at 218-485-4100.
• Keep bushy shrubs away from your electric meter.

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Indoor Electric Safety
1. Never place a hair dryer or other electrical device where they could fall into a sink or bathtub. Even when the appliance is turned off, electricity is still present. If an appliance falls into water, unplug it. NEVER try to grab it.

2.Certain appliances should ALWAYS be unplugged when not in use--hair dryers and curling irons; electric fryers; irons; toasters; power tools; hot plates; heating pads; heat lamps and sun lamps for example.

3. Keep electrical cords away from toddlers or pets.

4. Check all cords periodically to be sure they are in good condition.

5. Don't use extension cords as a substitute for fixed wiring. Three-pronged plugs ensure proper grounding for appliances and power tools. NEVER cut off the ground pin.

6. Cover electrical outlets you're not using with plug protectors.

7. Never run extension cords under carpets or through doorways.

8. Kitchens and bathrooms should be equipped with ground fault interrupter outlets (outlets with red reset buttons) to protect you from being shocked.

10. Buy the most reliable appliance in your price range.

11. Make sure the Underwriters Laboratories seal of approval applies to the entire appliance, not just the plug or cord.

12.Read and follow the manufacturer's instruction manual.

13. If an appliance cord becomes frayed or damaged, or if the unit is not running properly, stop using it.

14. Always unplug appliances before cleaning or repairing them.

15. Teach children at an early age about electricity and the importance of practicing electric safety.

• Always keep fingers and other objects away from electrical outlets
• Never pull a plug out by the cord.
• After washing your hands or taking a bath or shower, always make sure you are completely dry before touching a switch or plugging anything in.
• Electrical cords are not playthings.

16. Consider installing ground fault circuit interrupters. They are designed to detect electrical faults and shut off the power before trouble occurs.

17. Outlets overloaded with too many plugs can cause a fire

18. Replace a blown fuse or defective breaker in your home with the proper size.

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Outdoor Electric Safety
1. Keep an eye out for power lines. Be aware of where they are and always use caution around them.

2. Never move any large object without first looking up. Many things around you can be dangerous if they touch electric wires. Metal extension ladders present particular hazards because of their widespread use and because they are natural conductors of electricity. Always read and heed ladder-use safety labels.
When power lines are nearby, use wooden or fiberglass ladders.

3. Don't fly kites near power lines. However, if a kite should fall on a power line, never try to retrieve it or touch the kite string. Call your Moose Lake Power service representative for help.

4. Never take down trees toward power lines or climb trees near power lines. Tree limbs conduct electricity. When entangled, trees and wires are dangerous.

5. Never climb utility poles, towers or substation fences. If you have lost something over a substation fence, call your Moose Lake Power service representative to retrieve it for you.

6. Avoid contact with the electrical service entrance to your home when painting or doing other repairs.

7. Don't overload extension cords.

8. Be sure your outdoor wiring is on a separate circuit of sufficient amperage for your heavy-duty equipment and power tools.

9. Power tools should be properly grounded, and use only heavy-duty extension cords rated for outdoor use. Outdoor electrical outlets should be grounded and have weather proof covers.

10. Keep radios, TV or other electrical appliances away from your pool, pond or standing water.

11. When using a garden hose or sprinkler, don't let water contact overhead wires.

12. Don't install an antenna where it might fall and hit a power line.

13. Never use an electric mower when the grass is wet.

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What do you do with refrigerated foods if the power goes out?
1. Keep the refrigerator closed. Refrigerated food should be safe for about four hours, but milk, dairy products, eggs, meats and all cooked foods spoil quickly. Throw them out if the temperature rises above 40 degrees for two hours or more. The risk of food poisoning is never worth the cost of the food.

2. Remember, when in doubt, throw it out!

3. Keep your freezer closed! A full, freestanding freezer will stay at freezing temperatures about two days without power, a half-full freezer about one day. If the freezer is not full, quickly move packages together to insulate them and keep them as cold as possible.

4. You can safely refreeze food if it still contains ice crystals, has not exceeded 40 degrees for two hours or more, or if it has been held at 40 degrees no more than two days. Don't taste food with odd odor or color. Also, if it isn't safe for you, it's not safe for your pet.

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