image description — National Grid demonstrates the dangers of live wires for local fire departments on Monday evening.

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National Grid Demonstrates Dangers of Live Wires

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:35AM / Wednesday, August 27, 2025Print Story | Email Story

Matt Lane, a supervisor with National Grid, explains the wiring systems firefighters might see when responding to an emergency.

LENOX. Mass. — National Grid employees demonstrated the dangers of live wires on a hot dog during a safety awareness event on Monday.

When the processed meat (representing human flesh) came into contact with approximately 8,000 volts, it ignited and charred. The main message was to assume downed power lines are live, leave them alone, and report them to the utility company or 911 immediately.

"I think the biggest thing is just to teach awareness, get everybody to gain a little respect for the electricity, and to understand enough to know that they don't know whether something is live until we tell them, or something is dead, until it's verified by us," Matt Lane, senior supervisor of operations, explained.

First responders from Lenox, Stockbridge and West Stockbridge saw several test items ignite on the Live Line demonstration trailer: a fake squirrel, ladder, fire boot, and hot dog. These power lines mimic the ones on our streets.

The event was held at the Lenox Department of Public Works. Fire Chief Robert Casucci said his volunteer Fire Department is comprised of people of various ages and from all walks of life, and this information benefits new and longtime firefighters.

"Some people are familiar with the equipment, some people aren't," he said.

"We get everybody out here for this training with this prop and can see the effects of power in different ways, whether it's malfunctioning or just a power line that is down."

The department has about 35 volunteers, many of whom were in attendance.

Lane explained that the power going through the lines on the trailer are the same for most of the lines on the streets, adding, "For a single phase, voltage is just 7,970 volts, and for three phases, 13,800 [volts], and the vast majority of our lines are that."

Crew leader Justin Elovirta and first class line worker Spencer Criscione led the demonstration while wearing rubber sleeves and gloves that are tested every three months for 17,000 volts.

Last month, a Delaware County, N.Y., firefighter was electrocuted at the scene of an accident when a low-hanging wire came in contact with the firetruck.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of 2023, there are 150 workplace fatalities on average a year and 5.6 percent of all workplace fatalities are caused by contact with electricity. Nearly half are caused by overhead power line contact.

"It's good information. People have got to realize, don't consider lines dead until the power company tells you it's dead," said William Markham of the Stockbridge Fire Department.

"They're the ones. Don't assume."

Tags: electricity, firefighters, first responders, National Grid,

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15 People Displaced in Pittsfield Home Fires

Staff Reports11:35AM / Sunday, October 11, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Fifteen people were displaced after 2-alarm home fires this weekend on Springside Avenue and Elaine Drive.

On Friday evening, the Fire Department responded to a structure fire at 209 Springside Ave., which took a four-hour battle to extinguish and resulted in a partial roof collapse. The next day, on Saturday evening, crews knocked down a fire at 121 Elaine Drive in about an hour.

The garage and part of the single-family home on Elaine Drive were gutted to the frame, along with a vehicle parked in the driveway. On Springside Avenue, the top level and porch of the multifamily were burned through.

A GoFundMe has been started for the family of the Elaine Drive home, which includes several young children. The fundraiser, with a $5,500 goal, explains they lost their home and all of their belongings. (iBerkshires.com does not confirm or endorse fundraisers; they are provided as information only.)

There were no civilian or firefighter injuries, and both incidents are under investigation. One dog was rescued on Springside Avenue.

On Oct. 10, around 6:15 p.m., PFD responded to the Springside Avenue home for a reported structure fire and saw a 2 1/2-story wood frame multifamily with a heavy blaze showing from the second-floor front porch, extending out.

The building suffered a partial roof collapse, which prolonged extinguishment. The fire was brought under control after about four hours.

“An aggressive offensive attack was mounted by first arriving crews stretching hose lines into the building as well as primary searches that proved negative. Ladders were placed around the structure to provide access as well as escape if needed. An off-duty Fire Captain had also been on scene early in the incident to help evacuate the structure and rescue a dog,” PFD wrote in a press release.

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