Sunday, June 05, 2011

Fire in Merriam KS Electrical Sub-station Causes Metro-wide Power Surge

At 3:33 a.m.- the lights started flickering here at the CSW news office and I quickly went to battery power.


Within minutes- automatic alarms started sounding throughout KC-MO and in Claycomo- a police officer reported "all the street lights went out" and his dispatcher said there was a power surge.

Whatever it was- it seemed to be affecting the entire KCP&L power grid in Metro Kansas City.


Then- at 3:39 a.m.- five companies of Merriam- Shawnee and Overland Park fire companies were dispatched to a fire in an electrical sub-station at 6300 Carter.

That fire was allowed to burn itself out as KCP&L workers shut-off power to the station and re-routed the power supply to the area.


It's unknown if the fire caused the Metro-wide power surge or was a result thereof- but all areas around that station was restored by 4:30 a.m. and there were no more power surges- here at least.
___________

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well see the SOP for that sub station hasn't changed much other that the number of companies called in. Back in the day Merriam station only would have handled the call.

But the do not enter rule was how it was to be handled 35 years ago just showed up to stop any fire from spreading to the outer areas.

I forget how many volts and amps was flowing throught that place back then sure it had grown by leaps and bounds by now.

Groucho K. Marx said...

Indeed SD...


From "Things I Wish I Hadn't Said-"

Fire department engine pulls up to an electrical substation fire and the captain tells the apparatus operator "Let's use the deck gun (turret)...."

Anonymous said...

LOL better be a very wide pattern fog stream

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