BRUNSWICK ELECTRIC JOINS WITH OTHER CO-OPS TO
ASK KIDS NOT TO BE “LIKE MIKE”

SUPPLY, NC, July 2002 - - - North Carolina’s electric cooperatives, which operate nearly half of the distribution power lines in the state, joined other electric utilities in warning adults and children to stay away from power lines and not to be “Like Mike.” The warning comes in light of the movie “Like Mike” in which the central character reaches for a pair of basketball shoes hanging from a power line during a rainstorm.
“Touching power lines in real life can be deadly in any type of weather,” warned Tommy Greer, Director of Job Training and Safety for the North Carolina Association of Electric Cooperatives. North Carolina’s electric cooperatives maintain more than 88,000 miles of power lines in 93 counties, more than any other electric utility in the state.
“Reaching for anything hanging from a power is dangerous and could kill you,” Greer said. “Even if kids don’t see the movie, it’s a good time to remind them to stay away from power lines, substations, or any electric facility.”
Dana Mauldin, Safety Supervisor for Brunswick EMC said touching those lines would likely result in severe electric shock or death by electrocution. Mauldin is concerned children might re-enact a key scene in which the main character grabs the shoes just as a lighting bolt strikes a nearby power pole. The energized shoes allow him to become a National Basketball Association star. The movie is expected to be popular because it features NBA players and rap artist Lil Bow Wow in the lead role. The movie opens Wednesday across North Carolina.
Requests have been made to the movie’s distributor, 20th Century Fox, to add clips to the film warning about the dangers of coming in contact with power lines.
North Carolina’s Touchstone Energy cooperatives serve 2.4 million people in 93 of the state’s 100 counties. Brunswick EMC is the third largest electric cooperative in the state, serving members in Brunswick, Columbus, Bladen and Robeson counties.