A lineman working with the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Company (formerly Tamil Nadu Electricity Board) had a providential escape on Friday, thanks in part to fortune, and in large part due to the efficacy of the Fire and Rescue Service personnel in Mettupalayam.
On Friday evening, Ra-
mesh (39), a lineman by occupation and a resident of Shanthi Nagar, Mettupalayam, clambered up an electricity pole located opposite a hospital in Kattoor, Mettupalayam, unsuspecting of the quagmire which awaited him at the top. Ramesh, who had fastened himself to the electricity pole with a safety harness, climbed to the top when the power to the area had been cut off.
After replacing the fuses at the fuse-box atop the station, just as Ramesh was about to get down, all of a sudden the power supply was reinstated. The lineman suffered a powerful electric shock and was thrown off the top. However, as he had harnessed himself to the pole with the help of a rope, he was prevented from falling, and dangled precariously from atop the pole for a few minutes.
Onlookers, who were shocked at the cinematic fashion in which the man was dangling, quickly called up the electricity board, which shut off power to the area and also informed the Fire and Rescue Service.
Recalling the tricky and risky operation to rescue the lineman, R Palanichamy, the Mettupalayam Fire Service Station Officer, told Express on Saturday: “The rescue was made hard by the fact that the electric pole was in a dilapidated condition and could not have borne much stress.”
They got in touch with the District Fire Officer S R Chandran, who provided expert tips to the team to ensure that Ramesh was rescued swiftly and safely. The firemen successfully extricated Ramesh from atop the pole in less than eight minutes, using the ladder mounted atop the rescue vehicle.
Ramesh was then rushed to the Mettupalayam GH from where he was referred toCoimbatore Medical College Hospital. His condition is said to be stable.