LOS ANGELES, Aug. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of
National 8-1-1 Day, Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) and Los
Angeles Fire Department officials today unveiled a giant 30-foot
tall shovel to remind the public about the dangers of hitting
utility lines when digging, and to increase awareness of the need
to call 811 to have utility lines marked before any home or
commercial digging project. Photos of the event are available
here.
"About 60 percent of pipeline damage due to digging is caused by
homeowners or contractors who do not call 811 before they dig,"
said Jimmie Cho, SoCalGas senior
vice president of gas operations and system integrity. "They have
no idea where buried pipelines may be, and that's not safe.
By contrast, when people do call 811, there is a 99.9 percent
chance no damage will occur to a buried pipeline or other
utility—which means most of these accidental dig-ins are
preventable."
"We want to bring attention to this to increase public safety,"
said Trevor M. Richmond, Deputy
Chief, Bureau Commander, LAFD Operations Valley Bureau. "Pipelines
can be located anywhere—under streets, sidewalks and private
property. And hitting one while digging, planting or doing
demolition work can not only cause property damage and loss of
utility service, it can cause serious injury."
"Calling 811 is a quick and easy way to ensure that any digging
project is safe, protecting home owners, construction workers and
property," said Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield.
"The recent explosion in Woodland
Hills is a prime example of the importance of calling 811
because with gas, you never can be too safe."
811 is the national phone number designated by the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) that connects professionals and
homeowners who plan to dig with a local call center. The call
center collects information about the planned dig site then
communicates with the appropriate utility companies, which send
professional utility locating technicians to identify and mark the
approximate location of lines.
Raising public awareness of the importance of calling 811 before
digging is especially timely in the wake of a recent incident
involving a Woodland Hills couple
who lost their home due to an explosion and fire, after a
contractor hired to do plumbing repairs on their property damaged a
gas line. By following policy and procedures, two SoCalGas
employees helped to ensure no one was injured in the incident.
There were more than 3,000 cases of accidental damage from
digging to natural gas lines in SoCalGas' service territory last
year.
SoCalGas' giant shovel will continue to be displayed for several
months in various locations around the company's service territory
to bring ongoing attention to the importance of pipeline
safety.
About SoCalGas
Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas® is the largest natural
gas distribution utility in the United
States, providing clean, safe, affordable and reliable
natural gas service to 21.7 million customers in Central and
Southern California. Its service
territory spans 22,000 square miles from Fresno to the Mexican border, reaching more
than 550 communities through 5.9 million meters and 101,000 miles
of pipeline. More than 90 percent of Southern California single-family home
residents use natural gas for home heat and hot water. In addition,
natural gas plays a key role in providing electricity to
Californians—about 60 percent of electric power generated in the
state comes from gas-fired power plants.
SoCalGas has served communities in California for 150 years and is committed to
being a leader in the region's clean energy future. The company has
committed to spending $6 billion over
the next five years to modernize and upgrade its gas
infrastructure, while also reducing methane emissions. SoCalGas is
working to accelerate the use of renewable natural gas, a
carbon-neutral or carbon-negative fuel created by capturing and
conditioning greenhouse gas emissions from farms, landfills and
wastewater treatment plants. The company is a subsidiary of Sempra
Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company
based in San Diego. For more
information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on
Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook.
About the Los Angeles Fire
Department
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) preserves
life and property, promotes public safety and fosters economic
growth through a commitment to prevention, preparedness, response
and recovery as an all risk life safety response provider. LAFD is
a full-spectrum life safety agency protecting more than four
million people who live, work and play in America's second largest
city. The LAFD's 3,246 uniformed fire personnel protect life,
property and the environment through their direct involvement in
fire prevention, firefighting, emergency medical care, technical
rescue, hazardous materials mitigation, disaster response, public
education and community service. An equally committed non-sworn
cadre of 353 professional support personnel provide technical and
administrative expertise in their corresponding pursuit of the
department's mission.
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SOURCE SoCalGas