MOUNT ZION - On a cold winter morning, "Rocky" the squirrel scampers up a utility pole to plant his furry little bottom on a warm transformer.

"He says, 'Ah, that feels good,' " said Kyle Finley.

But then, Finley said, using an insulated pole to assist, when Rocky's paws make contact with the wire while part of him is still on that transformer BOOM.

The sudden blast and flash of fire made the Mount Zion High School students all jump, but don't fear for Rocky. He's made of plastic and will "live" to perform another day in Finley's Live Line Demo.

Finley, a former lineman for Illinois Power Co. and Eastern Illini Electric, gave his presentation on electrical safety for Mount Zion's high school, junior high and intermediate students Tuesday in separate assemblies. His equipment is a scaled-down but accurate version of the transformers, lines and breakers used by utility companies and allows Finley to demonstrate the awe-inspiring power of electricity and, he hopes, instill proper respect for it.

He certainly taught Anthony Sorros something he didn't know.

Sorros, a senior, was one of the students Finley pulled out of the audience to help him. One of Finley's most emphasized points was that if you hit a utility pole in your car, you need to stay in the car unless it catches fire, which he said is highly unlikely. Even if the lines aren't sparking and smoking, it's safest to stay in the car until help arrives. But it's not the rubber tires keeping you safe. It's the fact that you're not touching the ground and creating a point of contact.

"I never knew you were supposed to stay in your car like that," Sorros said. "It taught me a lot."

Finley began his career as an electricity safety educator while he was still a lineman, doing presentations for other linemen. He provides presentations to fire departments, business and community groups as well as schools. He hails from Alvin, north of Danville.

"I needed to change my life a little bit because I farm," he said. "And when the company owns you with a pager and a beeper, how do you farm? Because I'd get called out from the tractor. So I quit 10 years ago, and this was going to be a hobby. I shut down in the spring and fall so I can farm and I've never missed (his son's football games) because I own my schedule."

Valerie Wells can be reached at vwells@herald-review.com or 421-7982.