Safe-T-Opolis, a free, interactive program offered by Alabama Power, has been a staple elective for fourth-graders throughout the state for 34 years. Using a tabletop model of a city charged with 11,000 volts, students learn how to stay safe around electricity. When COVID-19 put a stop to in-person programs in schools, the shift to virtual presentations allowed Safe-T-Opolis to continue.

Since October 2020, 201 programs have been presented, reaching 6,196 students across Alabama. More than 170 additional programs are in development for the spring.

“Safe-T-Opolis is an engaging program that helps us effectively educate students on electrical safety,” said Kim Savage, Alabama Power’s public safety program manager. “We are thankful to the schools who have decided to continue the program, and we are hopeful that more schools will sign up throughout the year.”

Several schools that request the program each year have easily made the shift to virtual presentations. Leeds Elementary, Thompson Intermediate (Alabaster), St. Luke’s Episcopal School (Mobile), Dawes Intermediate (Mobile), Clanton Elementary, Oxford Elementary, George W. Long Elementary (Skipperville) and West Blocton Elementary are just a few of these “Safe-T-Opolis Honor Roll” schools.

“Having participated in the Safe-T-Opolis presentation in past years, I appreciated the efforts put into students having the same experience virtually,” said Marsha Richardson, a fourth-grade teacher at Dawes Intermediate in Mobile. “There have been so many things lost with the pandemic, so the students were excited to have this ‘field trip’ come to them.”

The Power Play video game is a great tool to teach children about electricity safety as part of the Safe-T-Opolis program. (contributed)

“Teachers have been giving us great feedback about the virtual experience with the program,” Savage said. “Some have even said they’d like to keep the option to offer it virtually going forward.”

Safe-T-Opolis is taught by specially trained Alabama Power employees called Lifeliners who have been using Google Meet to communicate with classes. Students view a video of the tabletop demonstration and play the Power Play video game – the newest addition to the program that has quickly become a favorite with students and teachers alike. Lifeliners then have the chance to interact virtually with the students, answering questions and spending time talking about the importance of safety around electricity.

Shifting to virtual presentations was an adjustment for Lifeliners as well. To prepare, they participated in training sessions to learn how to handle the technology.

“After the training sessions, they were excited but nervous, and once they got their first program under their belts, they realized they really could do this,” Savage said. “A lot of our Lifeliners were anxious about their own abilities, but they’ve completely embraced the new format.”

Moving to a virtual format also made it easier to administer the program to schools outside of Lifeliners’ own areas. Alabama Power Senior Engineer Justin Peeples has worked in four of the company’s divisions and was a Lifeliner in all of them. This year, he set a goal to present the program in every Alabama Power division and achieved that goal in February.

“I realized we all had a unique opportunity to present the program anywhere in the state,” Peeples said. “It was fun to know that my physical location was not restricting which students I was able to reach. I believe that the Safe-T-Opolis program is highly important in educating students in electrical safety, and I have thoroughly enjoyed reaching students across the state of Alabama.”

Teachers can still sign up to bring Safe-T-Opolis into their schools in spring 2021. To sign up for the virtual Safe-T-Opolis program, email safety@alabamapower.com or call 1-800-806-SAFE (7233).