Free Web NovelChapter 222: Chapter 168: In Life, One Must Heed Advice
When they left the canteen, there was a big gang.
The vehicle left the squadron, but only one truck and four or five people went.
Only Fang Huai among the new recruits went, but this time, the Logistics Officer, who usually kept to himself, was unexpectedly called by Cao Yi as well.
As they got on the truck, Cao Yi briefed everyone on the emergency at hand.
It was a fatality accident, with three people dead, a major incident for sure.
High voltage lines had touched the ground, and the incident occurred next to a pedestrian path.
The Logistics Officer had formerly worked as an electrician, so Cao Yi had specifically called him for this reason.
When Fang Huai heard this, his heart also raced, and without hesitation, he used 1 point of military merit value to redeem knowledge on high voltage electrical safety.
Once the knowledge entered his brain, his tense heart began to settle down.
In his past life, Fang Huai had been shocked by electricity once, and the heart palpitations and discomfort that followed had left him with a fear of electricity for many years.
Moreover, high voltage lines, in his eyes from watching short videos in his previous life, were extremely dangerous.
Anyone who had died from it knew, once you touched a high voltage line, there was no chance of getting free.
There used to be a widely circulated joke:
A person’s shoe got a pebble in it, he leaned against the electric pole to take off his shoe and started shaking it, and the person behind him thought he was getting electrocuted, so he broke his hand.
This joke was somewhat misleading.
All three lines on an electric pole carry high voltage.
Indeed, if someone touches the electric pole and gets electrocuted, there must be a reason for the conduction. One must look clearly before attempting a rescue.
One, whether it’s a rainy day.
Two, whether a high voltage line has fallen to the ground causing electrocution.
Both situations can lead to the rescuer being electrocuted as well.
The first case is only a possibility, but the second is a certainty.
As Fang Huai was pondering, Cao Yi had already begun to inquire:
"Logistics Officer, at what distance should we set up a safety perimeter under these circumstances?"
The Logistics Officer thought for a moment and said, "20 meters should be fine, and it’s a clear day. Those not in electrical insulating suits must absolutely not get near."
But Fang Huai interjected, "Instructor, it’s better to make it 30 meters. The specific distance also depends on the height of the power lines; if the electric pole is 6 meters high, even those wearing insulating suits had better not get close."
Cao Yi looked back, surprised, "You know about this?"
Fang Huai nodded.
This was the time to show clear certainty, otherwise, others might doubt his judgment.
After organizing his thoughts, Fang Huai began explaining:"Apart from telephone lines, the height of electric lines set by the state is based on the voltage of the high voltage lines.
4-meter-high lines carry voltages below 1000 volts. 6-meter lines are for voltages between kilovolts and ten kilovolts. Our electrical insulating suits can withstand up to 5000 volts; anything beyond that and they’d get punctured.
Moreover, a high voltage line touching the ground can transmit voltage to the surrounding area, forming a high voltage field around the point of contact.
This electric field spreads from the center outward, with the voltage gradually decreasing.
Once you discover a grounded high voltage line, do not move carelessly. The moment a person’s feet are apart when they land, a voltage difference is created between the two feet.
This is commonly known as step voltage.
At that moment, the human body becomes a conduit from high voltage to low voltage, forming an electric current.
The larger the step, the greater the voltage difference, and the stronger the electric current. freёwebnoѵel.com
If a center with a voltage of ten kilovolts spreads over a radius of 20 meters, just imagine what the voltage difference would be for a single step?
Over 30 volts, and the human body will feel the current distinctly. At 36 volts, it surpasses the safe voltage limit. Several hundred volts, and you can no longer free yourself.
So, the larger your strides, the quicker your demise.
Once inside this electric field, do not run. The safest method is to hop away on one foot. With one foot on the ground, the body cannot form a voltage difference. For those with poor balance, they must keep their feet as close together as possible and slowly shuffle away.
Also, the human body doesn’t offer much resistance at all. If you directly touch the electrified person, it’s not much different than touching a live wire.
A current above 50 milliamperes for just one second can potentially be lethal.
Moreover, electrocution can trigger heart arrhythmias, which may not be immediately noticeable, but after an hour or two, the heart can start to malfunction, leading to death.
When it comes to electricity, no matter how strong our bodies are, we’re still incredibly vulnerable, so it’s best to keep an absolute safe distance from it.
By the way, Instructor Cao, has the Power Supply Bureau been notified? We still need to cut the power."
There was a brief silence in the truck.
Everyone was absorbed in Fang Huai’s "erudition," and the contents of his explanation.
Cao Yi slowly answered, "The 119 Command Center has already been informed. The person who called the police was quite clever, not knowing the Power Supply Bureau’s number, so he called 119 first.
However, it might take them longer to get here. The Command Center called and asked us to set up a cordon and start evacuating people first."
Fang Huai then said, "Stop the truck 50 meters away. There are only two sets of electrical insulating suits in the truck. Squad Leader Xiao Hei and I will take the insulation hooks and warning devices and enter to handle the situation."
The Logistics Officer, however, said, "Let Xiao Hei not go. I’ll go; I have worked with electricity and am a bit more familiar."
Fang Huai smiled and replied, "Logistics Officer, you’re a retired veteran and currently in a logistics role. With your last year, it’s better to rest easy.
Retired veterans responding to emergencies are more prone to accidents. If you go, I’d actually feel unsafe following you."
"Hahaha..."
Although everyone had some apprehensions about the fatal accident scene, Fang Huai’s change of topic brought laughter to them all.
...
After putting on the insulating suits and taking their equipment into the scene, Fang Huai finally understood why the person who called the police was so certain it was a fatality accident.
The scene featured an overturned truck with an electrical wire snagged by the bed of another truck, one wire snapped.
Two men were dangerously close to where the wire hit the ground, and judging by their clothes and the open doors on both sides, both were from the truck, having jumped down and been electrocuted.
A woman lay motionless by the roadside, still holding groceries, onions from her bag rolling to the side.
There might have been others electrocuted, but they were likely farther away and had been rescued.
No one dared touch the three people who remained.
Their clothes were charred and in tatters, and their skin was burnt black on the legs and thighs.
Their bodies must have been on fire, some exposed parts punctured and now dried out, the dryness increasing body resistance, and the absence of flammable material around prevented re-ignition.
With such conditions, their insides would have been mush.
There was silence at the scene. At the far end of the street, traffic police were directing, and upon seeing their approach into the electrical field, they quickly crossed their arms, signaling them to stop and not come any closer.
Someone must have tried to approach and learned the hard way.
Fang Huai, upon realizing the situation, promptly waved at Xiao Hei to stop.
It was beyond saving.
Insulating hooks would only damage their already-charred bodies.
With traffic police on the other side and the area cleared, it was time to pull back.
Damn it, I always say trucks shouldn’t carelessly enter the city.
Breaking the wire was one thing, but jumping out was another—inside was at least safe, a natural Faraday cage.
Now look, an innocent passerby’s harmed, and they’re gone too.
The hope of three families.
Under these circumstances, insurance companies wouldn’t compensate, and if that truck had an owner, they were in big trouble.
Forget the people, just one power outage from high voltage, and that’s a sky-high compensation.
Fang Huai and Xiao Hei called out around the area, after confirming no one else was nearby within a ten-meter radius, they began to retreat from the high voltage field, setting up barriers where the fire truck parked.
Cao Yi, the Logistics Officer, and Jiang Jun of the Rescue Team were blocking traffic and pedestrians on both sides and the middle of the road, loudly explaining the situation to them.
Still, many people stopped there, standing on tiptoes, craning their necks to look, and some tried to take photos with various devices but were stopped.
Fang Huai unzipped the hood of his insulating suit and approached Cao Yi, saying,
"No one else inside, those three are beyond help. Once the power’s cut, hand over to 110, and we’ll withdraw."
Cao Yi turned to look at the disheartened Fang Huai, pulled him aside, pointing at a police car parked not far on the roadside,
"110 has already arrived; they’ve discussed with us to help process the bodies.
What’s up, the scene too horrific, scared you?"
Fang Huai shook his head, silent.
He just thought of the three people’s tragic condition and really wanted a cigarette.
This was the first unassisted police dispatch since his rebirth, and they didn’t even dare touch the victims.
One could only say, in life, it’s important to heed advice.
Soon, a yellow pickup truck from the Power Supply Bureau arrived with two electrical workers gearing up and entering the scene.
Shortly after, one came out to report the power was off and they were rushing to repair it, telling them to enter and recover the bodies, as it was obstructing work.
Cao Yi called out, "Sun Jingwu, get off and take charge of the cordon, we’ll go in and handle the bodies!"
In such a situation, it was still necessary to secure the scene until the bodies were dealt with and how the police would take over depended on them.
Fang Huai was clear on the items inside the fire truck, and he picked up several papers and cloths stored beneath the equipment area at the back of the truck, previously used for packing, and followed Cao Yi inside.
These unused cloths, many stowed in the truck, were precisely for situations like this.
Before the family members arrived, they needed to cover the deceased with the cloths to prevent emotional outbursts.
The group reached the scene, each feeling discomfort to varying degrees.
The three victims differed in where they were burnt from electric shocks.
The woman was slightly better off, mostly affected on her body and neck, with a face slightly blackened but still mostly intact.
One of the two men close by had half of his face charred, the other was burnt all over, his right shin displaying a dried-up large hole where his blood had already coagulated.
Upon closer inspection, there was the distinct smell of something burnt, like a plastic or rubber burning mixed with a bit of sourness.
It might have been the shoes.
They carefully lifted the three using gloves, aware not to drag the injured parts. No one knew the full extent of the electric shock; after all, skin from fire fatalities ruptures easily.
While lifting the man with the charred face, his neck loosened slightly, giving the impression his head might fall off, startling Jiang Jun, who was lifting the torso. He almost cursed, but held back.
The three were quickly arranged in a row.
Fang Huai untied the bundled oil paper cloths, took three sheets, and covered each one.
and 120 arrived soon after.
Personnel from 120 got off, opened the paper cloths for a symbolic check, shook their heads, and left.
Personnel from 110 got off and shook hands with Cao Yi.
"Thanks for your help. We have a female colleague who came with us... she’s frightened." The two young male policemen chuckled, glancing back at their vehicle.
Fang Huai felt somewhat speechless.
She’s frightened? Are you guys not scared?
I’m a little scared myself!
