Hammocks on power lines spotted more often by Weber County officials
Aug 1, 2021, 5:38 PM | Updated: 5:40 pm
The bench areas of North Ogden and Pleasant View, Utah, are reportedly where officials from the Weber County Sheriff’s Office have seen young people hanging hammocks on power lines.
“It’s extremely dangerous,” Weber County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Courtney Ryan told KSL Newsradio. “Power can jump the lines.”
Or the person hanging hammocks on power lines can receive an electric shock, or fall the 40 or 50 feet they’ve climbed, or both.
And it’s something they’re seeing more of, over the past few years.
“The hammockers (sic) are climbing up the tower and sometimes between power lines,” Weber County officials said in a posting on Facebook.
High voltage power lines create a significant electrical field. That’s why power companies tell workers to stay from 10 to 25 feet away from power lines.
The majority of people seen taking part in this activity are kids in high school, Ryan said.
And while we commend the kids for getting outside, there are safe places to hammock.”
Those places include parks, campgrounds, and your own backyard.
Weber County officials and Rocky Mountain Powe will be conducting extra patrols of the areas in question, and anyone caught on a tower will be cited for trespassing.