The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors announced the rollout of the first two video interviews of a new campaign series entitled, Faces of Fire/Electrical, which will feature personal stories of people impacted by electrical incidents and demonstrate the need for continued education and awareness about electrical hazards in the workplace and at home.
The campaign introduces two electrical utility workers who were injured in the field. Dave Schury was working as an area operator for an Illinois power company when a rat short-circuited a 12,000-volt piece of equipment causing an explosion.
He suffered second- and third-degree burns to 30 percent of his body and spent the next two weeks fighting for his life in the burn unit at Chicago’s Cook County Hospital.
In 2010, while working as a power lineman, Sam Matagi was involved in an electrical incident; nearly 15,000 volts of electricity surged through his body when a scrap of cut wire that he was holding came in contact with a live wire. His injuries resulted in the loss of both his hands.
Over the course of the campaign, a new video interview will be highlighted each month demonstrating the importance of workplace and home safety, in addition to related electrical safety resources and information.
Faces of Fire/Electrical features six personal stories of electrical burn survivors whose lives have been forever altered and how more understanding, training, and a change in work culture could have significantly impacted these outcomes.
Woven into these stories of resilience is an additional interview with a physician dedicated to the complete physical and emotional healing of patients suffering from a burn injury.
Through these video interviews and written profiles, Faces of Fire/Electrical is a resource for electrical and non-electrical workers, and the general public to learn more about the importance of electrical safety.
“Exposure to electricity poses a real injury risk to workers and the public,” said Lorraine Carli, NFPA’s vice president of Outreach and Advocacy. “Many people are not aware of electrical dangers and yet each year people are injured or killed from these hazards. The Faces of Fire/Electrical campaign helps better educate people about the true dangers of electricity and ways to prevent related tragedies from happening.”
Visit www.nfpa.org/facesoffire each month to watch the videos.
