Emergency Electrical Safety: What to Do Before We Arrive

Electrical emergencies rarely happen at convenient times. Knowing what to do in the critical minutes before your electrician arrives can prevent injury, fire, and further damage. ELECSI provides 24/7 emergency call-outs across Ipswich, Felixstowe, Woodbridge and all of Suffolk — here's our safety guide.

Immediate Actions for Any Electrical Emergency

1. Turn off the main switch at your consumer unit (fuse box). This is usually the large switch at the top or bottom labelled "MAIN SWITCH." If you cannot reach it safely, do not risk it — evacuate instead.
2. Unplug affected appliances if safe to do so. Do not touch any appliance that feels hot, smells of burning, or has visible damage.
3. Do not use water on electrical fires. Water conducts electricity and will electrocute you. Use a CO2 fire extinguisher or fire blanket if available.
4. Evacuate if necessary. If you see flames, smell strong burning, or the main switch will not stay on, leave the property and call 999.

Tripped RCD: Emergency or Not?

A single RCD trip is often caused by a faulty appliance, not your wiring. Try this: turn off the main switch, unplug every appliance, turn the main switch back on, then plug appliances back in one by one. If the RCD trips when a specific appliance is plugged in, that appliance is the culprit — not an emergency. If the RCD trips with nothing plugged in, or will not reset at all, call us immediately.

Burning Smell from the Consumer Unit

This is a genuine emergency. A burning smell from your fuse box indicates overheating connections, damaged breakers, or overloaded circuits. Turn off the main switch immediately, do not attempt to reset anything, and call our emergency line. Do not re-energise until we have inspected and repaired the fault.

Sparking Sockets or Switches

Visible sparking when plugging in or switching on indicates loose connections, damaged wiring, or moisture ingress. Turn off the circuit at the consumer unit, tape over the socket to prevent use, and call us. If sparks are accompanied by smoke or flames, evacuate and dial 999.

When to Call the Fire Brigade

• Visible flames or smoke from any electrical fitting
• The main switch trips immediately every time you reset it
• You smell burning plastic or rubber and cannot locate the source
• Anyone has received an electric shock — even minor ones require A&E assessment for cardiac rhythm disturbance

What ELECSI Emergency Call-Outs Include

Our emergency electricians carry stocked vans with consumer units, RCDs, MCBs, cable, connectors and testing equipment. We aim to make-safe on arrival and complete permanent repairs where possible. All emergency work is certified to BS 7671 and backed by ELECSI's workmanship guarantee.