Safety around fallen electric lines was the topic of the main speaker at the Oct. 2 Moniteau County Neighborhood Crime Watch meeting, held at the Jamestown Community Center.
While not specifically crime related, the topic was appropriate for an organization, which is concerned about safety.
Jimmy Jester, safety director for the Co-Mo Cooperative, Tipton, spoke about the service area of the company. The company covers about 2,300 square miles in Central Missouri. The boundaries extend from the Missouri River on the north to the Lake of the Ozarks and Truman Dam on the south and southwest, respectively; west to within eight miles of Sedalia; and east to within six miles of Jefferson City. There are more than 700 underground miles of cable. He also spoke of the company's expansion to include the broadband service of TV, internet and telephone, which is now known as Co Mo Connect.
For information about safety, Jester explained that overhead wires are not insulated, just coated. This means that touching a downed wire is life-threatening. That includes even if a wire is touching a vehicle. Even the ground is a conductor - depending on the power running through the downed line, the ground is not safe for at least thirty feet, or more.
Considering the coming winter weather, some of those present were concerned about running generators for household use when electricity is out. Jester explained that there is a proper way to have a switch for a generator. If not done correctly, current can go back through the line. A lineman working to bring back electric power could possibly be killed, if the switch is installed incorrectly.
Sheriff Tony Wheatley updated the organization about several recent burglaries. There was one in Russellville and two in Tipton in a three-day period.
He spoke about the mobile home fire in McGirk, which took the life of a child. County law enforcement had made an attempt to locate the child before the fire department arrived.
Wheatley expressed his appreciation for all the donations, which have been made to help the department acquire new K-9 Officer Apollo. He commented that the recent fundraiser by Clenin Farm Supply made it possible to get the dog Oct. 1. Lt. Kevin Morse, the dog's handler, is going through a two-month training period working with Apollo.
In old business, the group was given an update on the success of the Ham and Turkey Festival's booth, co-staffed with the 911 Center.
Winners of the solar security lights were Norman and Joyce Rohrbach and Glenda Williams. Booth workers expressed their appreciation for all of those who stopped by to sign up and to learn more about club's goals and activities.
The next meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Nov. 6. It is hoped that a speaker will be available to talk about working in extreme situations, like the recent hurricanes.