Hey another EE!! Power transmission wasn't my focus in school but I did well in the class and did focus on EM fields (and also did quite well). Those classes were a long, long time ago but they did a good job of making me very very aware of why only trained professionals should deal with downed power lines.

High Power electrical fields are tricky beasts and mistakes are often fatal. The theory is pretty straight forward but practical application depends on a lot of variables. Without the right equipment and training the only real answer is stay away and call for help.

Just to add a further note of caution. For a 115KV line shorted to ground the voltage drop from 1 foot away from the ground point to 4 feet away (one step) can be nearly 700V differential, depending on soil conditions. That is why PGE and others suggest shuffling away if you find yourself near downed lines. Similarly the voltage drop from 10 feet to 13 feet will be in the 130V range. That means you really want to be at least 60 feet away from any downed lines since you won't know the voltage level or the ground conditions.

-Eric