Emergency Level 2 Electrician Guide: What to Do First

What Counts as a Level 2 Emergency

A Level 2 emergency involves the network side of your supply. The clearest examples are a fallen or dangling service line, a burnt or arcing point of attachment, a private pole that's leaning, split or on fire, and any sparking, smoke or burning smell coming from the meter box or connection.

Loss of supply that isn't a wider network outage — where the fault is clearly on your own connection, mains or metering — also qualifies. If your neighbours have power and you don't, and there's damage at your connection, that's a Level 2 emergency.

By contrast, a fault entirely inside the house — a single tripping circuit or a dead powerpoint — is usually standard electrician work. Our when do you need a Level 2 guide helps tell them apart.

What to Do First

Safety comes before everything. If you can see fallen wires, keep everyone — including pets — well clear and assume the line is live. Never touch or try to move a downed conductor, and keep at least eight metres away.

If there's smoke, sparking or a burning smell at the switchboard or meter and it's safe to do so, switch off the main switch. If it isn't safe to approach, leave it, get everyone out, and call for help. For life-threatening situations or fire, call 000 first.

For a wider guide to the immediate steps, see what to do before the electrician arrives. Then call a Level 2 ASP so the network-side fault can be made safe and repaired.

When to Call the Network vs an ASP

If the fault is clearly on the network's own infrastructure — the street mains or a network pole — your first call may be to Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy or Essential Energy, who maintain that equipment. Report fallen wires to them (and to emergency services if there's immediate danger).

But anything on your side of the network boundary — your service line, private pole, point of attachment, consumer mains or metering — is your responsibility to have repaired by a Level 2 ASP. In practice the line between the two isn't always obvious in the middle of a storm.

That's where calling us helps: we'll quickly work out whether it's ours to fix or a network job, and coordinate with the distributor if a disconnection is needed. Read who is responsible for storm-damaged power lines for the full picture.

How Emergency Response Works

When you call our 24/7 emergency line, we triage the situation over the phone — confirming whether it's a genuine safety emergency and giving you immediate safety advice. We then dispatch a Level 2 ASP to make the situation safe.

The first priority on site is isolating and securing the hazard — de-energising and making safe a downed line, a burnt attachment or a compromised pole. Coordination with the network for any required disconnection happens as part of this.

Once it's safe, we carry out or plan the repair. Some emergency fixes are temporary to restore safety quickly, with a permanent repair scheduled straight after. For how fast response should be, see how fast an emergency electrician should respond.

Staying Safe Until Help Arrives

Keep well clear of any fallen or damaged wires and warn others to do the same — treat every downed line as live. Don't use water near an electrical fire, and don't attempt any repair or inspection of the connection yourself.

If you've switched off the main switch, leave it off until the electrician confirms it's safe. Avoid standing water near affected areas, and if there's a burning smell you can't locate, get everyone outside.

Have your address and a clear description of what you're seeing ready when you call — it helps us respond faster and bring the right equipment.

Call SPG Any Time

Electrical emergencies don't keep office hours, and neither do we. If you've got a downed line, a burning smell at the meter, a damaged pole or a dangerous loss of supply, act on safety first and then call for help.

Sydney Power Group provides 24/7 emergency Level 2 response across Sydney. Call 0466 125 125 now, or learn more about our emergency electrician service. We'll make it safe.