Utah woman climbs onto high-voltage substation, …

A woman who reportedly had “a mental health episode” climbed onto a high-voltage transformer on Thursday and damaged it, temporarily losing power to 800 homes in Salt Lake City.

A video taken at the scene shows the woman, wearing a red skirt and sneakers, sitting on one of the high-voltage buses at the top of a transformer, shouting obscenities at first responders.

As first responders climbed up to reach her, she began dangling from one of the wires strung between the buses, treating the deadly equipment like an American Gladiator obstacle course.

An aerial platform was lifted to the wire the woman was dangling from, and she eventually managed to fall into it. A witness told ABC4 in Utah that Salt Lake City police resorted to using a stun gun or rubber bullet to get her off the wire.

The woman was taken into custody and transported to a hospital to be treated for “a mental health episode,” the report said.

To ensure her safety, electrical crews shut off power to the substation. More than 800 homes lost power for about two hours until the substation was reactivated.

Extremely dangerous, but also safe

Dane Austin, electrical inspector for the city of Cody, Wyoming, said transformers in substations can be extremely dangerous. But they are also completely safe, provided people heed the posted warnings and don’t push their luck.

“If they are installed properly and meet all the fencing requirements and keep the public out, they are not really dangerous at all,” he said. “But people sometimes do crazy things.”

Austin said all substation transfers must be surrounded by grounded fencing, covered with numerous warnings and “Do Not Trespass” signs. For most people, that’s enough to deter their dangerous impulses.

Still, that level of security wouldn’t stop a determined person with bolt cutters. Austin said most people who bypass substation security have nefarious intentions.

“Most incidents at substations involve people trying to steal copper and equipment,” he said. “That’s where the danger lies, because they’re climbing on equipment they know nothing about.”

Rocky Mountain Power representative Dave Eskelsen said the woman who infiltrated the Salt Lake City substation used a pipe to damage a control panel once she got past the fence. He did not say whether her escapade caused further damage.

Skilled linemen must take precautions when working on substation transformers, even when they are turned off. If power is still flowing through the substation, one wrong move could mean instant death.

“If you don’t know what you’re doing and you don’t know how to work on it, it’s very dangerous,” he said.

Where there is a road

Over the years, the safety of Cody’s substation transformers has been tested – not by humans, but by raccoons.

In 2021 and 2022, raccoons caused brief but widespread power outages after climbing into the Glendale Substation near Beck Lake. The animals were killed after touching the high-voltage equipment.

“That particular substation did not have proper security around the bushings to prevent wildlife from getting in,” Austin said. “We had consultants evaluate our conservation efforts to protect wildlife and our equipment. Equipment and downtime can be expensive.”

There has not been a raccoon-related outage in Cody since then, so substation security has been increased enough to prevent wildlife entry. But that may not be enough to stop someone, because where there is a will, there is always a way.

Contact Andrew Rossi at [email protected]

Andreas Rossi can be reached at [email protected].