PG&E Offers Tips For Safe And Cool Summer

SAN FRANCISCO, June 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Summer officially starts tomorrow, and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) offers the following time-proven tips to help customers be aware of summertime hazards that come with hot, dry weather and certain outdoor activities. 

Summer safety tips:

• "Look Up and Live!" – Use caution and keep fireworks, balloons, kites and toys (such as high powered water guns or remote control aircraft) away from overhead electric lines. Contact with lines can lead to serious injury, fires and outages.
• Never attempt to retrieve any type of balloon, kite or toy that becomes caught in a power line. Leave it alone and immediately call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000 to report the problem.
• Never go near a power line that has fallen to the ground, is dangling in the air or appears to be damaged. Always assume downed electric lines are energized and dangerous. Stay away, keep others away and immediately call 911 to alert the police and fire departments.
• Observe local laws. Contact your local police or fire department to make sure fireworks are allowed in your area. If so, keep a bucket of water or a water hose close by.
• Pay attention to overhead power lines when using long, aluminum poles to clean your pool.  Watch where the other end of the pole is located in relation to power lines.
• Avoid playing around overhead power lines and power poles.
• Never climb trees growing near or touching overhead power lines.
• "Call Before You Dig" – Before starting outdoor projects that require any type of excavation, large or small, call 811 to ensure you know where gas and electrical lines are buried underground. Even small digging projects around the house for planting or fence posts require a call to 811.

Hot weather safety tips:

• When temperatures are unusually high, you can visit PG&E-supported Cooling Centers to escape the heat, free of charge. For information on Cooling Centers, or to find out if there is one in your neighborhood, contact your local city or county.
• If your neighborhood does not have a Cooling Center, plan trips to public places with air conditioning such as libraries, movie theaters or shopping malls.
• Avoid strenuous activities in hot, direct sunlight.
• Drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol or caffeine when the weather is hot.
• Pay attention to your body. Muscle cramps, dizziness and nausea may be signs of a heat-related illness.

For more tips on summer safety and energy savings, visit:
http://www.pge.com/en/myhome/edusafety/seasonal/coolingcenters/summersafety.page

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation's cleanest energy to 15 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/ and www.pgecurrents.com.

SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)