The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors recently 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.
Every electrical burn injury has a story. In this video series, NFPA makes it possible to hear from some of the survivors whose lives have been forever altered and emphasizes how more understanding, training, and a change in work culture could have significantly impacted these outcomes. New videos will be highlighted each month — check out the first two videos on the Faces of Fire landing page.
Dave Schury
Schury of Lemont, Ill., 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.
Sam Matagi
In 2010, while working as a power lineman, Matagi, West Valley City, Utah, was involved in an electrical accident; 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.
“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.”
Exposure to electricity continues to be an important source of workplace injury, noted NFPA in a press release announcing the new series. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, on average there have been more than 2,000 non-fatal electrical injuries at work each year. In 2018, there were 160 electrical fatalities, an 18% increase over the previous year and the highest number of fatalities since 2011.
“Every survivor's story is unique, and their paths to recovery are, too. By uniting the voice of the burn community, we can bring awareness to the importance of fire safety and the lifelong impact of a burn injury,” said Amy Acton, executive director of the Phoenix Society of Burn Survivors. “We are proud to partner with NFPA on our shared goal to engage people across the world to help advance the message of fire prevention and protection.”
