Emergency Electricians near you

Start with people, not equipment. If there is fire or smoke, or someone has been hurt by a shock, get everyone out and call 911. Don't touch a person who may still be in contact with a live source, never throw water on an electrical fire, and keep children and pets away from the area.

If there is no fire and the panel is dry, easy to reach and not hot or sparking, you can switch off the breaker for the affected circuit, or the main breaker, and then leave it alone. If the panel or the floor around it is wet, don't go near it: Get Prepared warns against shutting off electricity when water is present, and Hydro-Québec advises calling the utility to have service cut at the meter or the pole instead.

Outside, treat every fallen line as live. ESA says to stay back about the length of a school bus, 10 metres, and to call 911 and the local utility, since the ground around a downed line can be energized. Once everyone is safe, call a licensed electrician and describe what you saw, smelled and heard, and what you have already switched off.

When the lights go out, Get Prepared suggests first checking whether the outage is only in your home, then checking your breaker panel or fuse box, and reporting the outage to your electricity provider. If the whole street is dark, the problem is on the grid and the utility will restore it; an electrician can't speed that up.

If only your home is affected and no breaker has tripped, or if half the house works while the other half doesn't, the fault may lie anywhere from the utility's wires and meter to your own service entrance and panel. Call the utility first so it can check its side of the connection. If its equipment is fine, the problem is on the house side, and that calls for an emergency electrician rather than a look behind the panel cover.

A breaker or a fuse is a safety device. It trips when something draws more current than the circuit can safely carry, or when a fault sends current where it shouldn't go. An occasional trip when the kettle, the microwave and a space heater share the same kitchen circuit is usually an overload, and the lasting fix is spreading the load or adding a circuit.

It becomes urgent when the breaker trips again the moment it is back on, trips with nothing plugged in, feels hot or won't stay on, or when a fuse blows again and again. Those point to a short circuit, a ground fault or a failing breaker. Leave the circuit off and call an electrician. Never swap in a larger fuse or hold a breaker in the on position: that removes the very protection that keeps wiring from overheating inside the walls.

Water and electrical equipment don't mix, even after the water is gone. Get Prepared warns that appliances that may have been flooded pose a risk of shock or fire when turned on, and that if the main power switch wasn't turned off before the flooding, you shouldn't re-enter until a qualified electrician has determined it's safe. Hydro-Québec adds that if service wasn't interrupted but water got into the home, you should consult a master electrician before turning the power back on.

When the utility has cut the service, reconnection generally depends on an inspection. In Quebec, the CMEQ notes that Hydro-Québec won't restore power to the home until it has been inspected by a qualified electrical contractor, and its flood checklist calls for replacing breakers, surge protection devices and wiring that were submerged. In Ontario, ESA explains that after serious damage the utility may not be able to reconnect until repairs are made: a Licensed Electrical Contractor does the work, and an ESA inspector confirms the power can be reconnected and informs the utility.

Photograph the damage and ask the electrician for a written list of what was repaired or replaced. It supports your insurance claim and shows the installation was made safe before it went back into service.

Canadian storms bring trees and ice-laden branches down onto the wires that feed houses, and can pull the service mast away from the wall. Before storm season, make sure every breaker is clearly labelled, keep the space in front of the panel clear and leave a flashlight nearby so no one has to search in the dark. Surge protection installed at the panel by an electrician helps shield electronics and appliances when the power comes back.

If you rely on a generator, Get Prepared advises running portable fuel-burning generators at least 6 metres (20 feet) from homes and buildings. Never plug a generator into a household outlet to feed the house: connecting one to your wiring calls for a transfer switch or interlock installed by a licensed electrician, so power can't flow back onto the utility's lines where crews may be working.