Article by Matt Nauman, www.pgecurrents.com, posted on April 17, 2013
PG&E will be working with fire chiefs in Alameda County and other officials to increase the understanding and importance of calling 811 before a digging project, the company said today (April 17).
John Higgins, PG&E’s senior director of gas distribution maintenance and construction operations, and Renee Domingo, the director of emergency services and homeland security for Oakland, will be the co-chairs of the new Alameda County 811 Task Force.
PG&E’s John Higgins and Renee Domingo, director of the city of Oakland’s Emergency Services office, will co-chair the Alameda County 811 Task Force. (Photos by Matt Nauman.)
The Task Force was announced during a meeting of the Alameda County fire chiefs held at an East Bay Regional Parks office in the Oakland Hills. April is National Safe Digging Month.
Higgins told the chiefs that the statistics are rather startling. PG&E experienced about 1,700 “digs-in” last year, where contractors, homeowners and others struck PG&E equipment while digging underground. About 200 of those took place in Alameda County.
“It’s a huge issue for us,” Higgins said.
Of those, Higgins said, about two-thirds never called the free 811 line. That line will start the process that allows PG&E (and other utilities) to come out and mark underground gas and electric lines before a project begins.
“We have to address folks not calling 811 if we’re ever going to address the damages that these incidents cause,” Higgins told the fire chiefs who came from Fremont, Albany and other cities. “We can’t fix it without you.”
Dig-ins often require a response from police and fire departments. Customers often lose gas or electric service until repairs can be made. They hurt nearby businesses. And they have the potential to result in injuries or deaths.
What both PG&E and the fire chiefs want is fewer dig-ins. And the best way to do that is to get more contractors – and homeowners planning a new fence or planting a new tree – to call 811 before the project begins.
A recent dig-in caused by a sewer contractor not following proper procedures resulted in a two-alarm fire in Berkeley, said Gil Dong, interim chief of the Berkeley Fire Department.
“We need to address excavators and consumers about proper procedures including calling 811,” said Dong.
PG&E’s John Higgins shared information about increasing awareness of calling 811 before digging projects with Alameda County fire chiefs today including Gil Dong, interim fire chief in Berkeley, left, and Mike Martin, a battalion chief with CalFire.
His department has been working with PG&E first-responders on better coordination and “that education and training has been very beneficial,” he said.
Domingo also praised PG&E. “We appreciate all the communication,” she said. The Task Force, which hopes to include contractors, insurers, community members and labor officials, will help increase the outreach of this important cause.
Among the actions being taken by PG&E to increase awareness of 811 include:
- An expanded campaign that includes radio spots, billboards and appearances at public events such as street fairs.
- Supporting a bill in the California legislature that will provide greater awareness and enforcement to make sure contractors call 811.
- Meeting with the top 12 contractors in PG&E’s service territory who have been the most responsible for dig-ins. So far, these meetings have garnered some “positive” results, Higgins said.
- Being more aggressive in calling out negligent contractors and then then make sure they pay to repair the damage as well as for businesses and homeowners who are inconvenienced by a dig-in.
PG&E leaders will be conducting similar ‘Call 811’ meetings later this month.