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Joined: Aug 2001
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pauluk Offline OP
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Quote
Electricity supplies to the south of the Isle of Man were diverted so engineers could rescue a cat sat atop a 35ft high voltage pole.

Mogel, a 13-year-old family pet, was seen sitting on steelwork between two live 33,000 volt conductors last week.

The line, supplying Port Erin and Port St Mary, was transferred onto alternative cables so the cat could be rescued using an elevated platform.


Story continues:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/isle_of_man/7250635.stm


Joined: Dec 2005
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Good to see that in this profit driven day and age, some POCO's take this matter to hand and resque the cat instead of waiting for it's early demise by electrocution or food starvation.

Great news Pauluk


The product of rotation, excitation and flux produces electricty.
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 114
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RODALCO, that's an optimistic view. Another view, that is slightly less optimistic, is in this profit driven day and age the poco sees more risk in not saving the cat, given that somebody who is unqualified to do so may attempt a DIY rescue that could cost the poco millions. I'm not so sure "we" were more good-hearted in the past. In a less prosperous time, and when workplace deaths and other hardships were the norm, my guess is the idea of sending a guy up to save someone's cat that "shouldn't be there in the first place" (as I envision the argument going) would be laughable. Maybe my view of the past is less nostalgic than others'....

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djk Offline
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If it were a Manx Cat, they'd have had no option!! smile

Manx cats have a weird genetic mutation that causes them to be born with no, or short tails!

It's actually more of a genetic abnormality / nearly a deformity on an island population of cats rather than an actual characteristic. It's referred to as "Manx Syndrome" by many vets..

They also have an odd spine and oversized hind legs...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manx_(cat)

Last edited by djk; 02/23/08 02:55 PM.
Joined: Jul 2002
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OK,
So if a cat can get up there, so can a child.
That power authority needs to review it's anti-climbing protection policy and fast.
As an ex-PoCo worker I have rescued drunken adults, cats, kids, from poles over the years with an insulated bucket truck.
Kites seemed to be an on-going thing, no matter how many times you tell the public, don't fly kites around power lines.
Luckily, cat-gut string is an insulator.

Last edited by Trumpy; 04/19/08 04:54 AM. Reason: typo
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 54
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Originally Posted by Trumpy
OK,
So if a cat can get up there, so can a child.
That power authority needs to review it's anti-climbing protection policy and fast.


The anti-climb policy over here is the same as it is for all DNOs in the UK, which go by the standards set out in the Electricity Supply, Quality and Continuity Regulations. Any amount of anti-climbing measures can be overcome by someone determined to do so, and there is a limit as to how much effort, time and money you invest when you look at the likelihood or risk of harm coming to people. In the UK it is generally covered by the "as far as is reasonably practicable" clause.

The cat did remarkably well to get up that pole, and it was a relatively straightforward bit of network switching to isolate the 33kV line (luckily it happened when the load was fairly low).

I agree with you Trumpy that kites are a big problem - we've had two in the last six months stuck in the lines. I start giving safety presentations to some of the local primary schools next week to try and stop this from happening. Just need to wait for the motorbikes to stop going around the TT course so I can cross the road to get to them!

Cheers

Ian

Joined: Apr 2008
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Originally Posted by ianh
[quote=Trumpy] start giving safety presentations to some of the local primary schools next week to try and stop this from happening.

We have a really neat setup at work with model power lines hooked up to a small transformer that draws a nice flashy arc, for school demonstrations. (think like a model train set, minus the train)

Or, at least they used to. I was surprised they took that thing around, it definitely wasn't UL approved. laugh


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