SAN FRANCISCO, March 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today issued the following statement in advance of the second day of National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearings:
In the months since the San Bruno accident, PG&E has taken steps to significantly enhance our public safety partnerships in support of natural gas pipeline safety. PG&E is continuously working to further empower its customers, public officials and first responders with the information they need to help prevent accidents or respond to emergencies. These actions have included:
- Creating an additional training program for first responders, focusing on coordination with fire and public safety agencies in the event of an emergency. PG&E is working with the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to deliver training for police responders. In addition, we have initiated a new advisory panel comprising nine jurisdictions that will help shape PG&E's training program.
- Arming first responders with detailed, customized information on PG&E's pipeline system and emergency response plans.
- Creating a pilot program to share digital mapping with first responders in key local jurisdictions to ensure they can be briefed by their respective dispatch centers while responding to any emergency.
PG&E has expanded our education and outreach on the "Call Before You Dig 811" program, a free service that marks underground utilities for everyone from contractors conducting excavations to a homeowner planting a shrub. Increasing awareness is critical, because third party dig-ins pose the largest risk to underground infrastructure. The public simply calls 811 to access the free service.
In addition to extensive education and outreach efforts, PG&E recently launched an interactive online tool in coordination with Google that allows customers to find the location of transmission pipelines in their own neighborhoods. This new tool is available at www.pge.com/pipelinelocations/.
Many of these efforts are part of PG&E's Pipeline 2020 Program, which is guiding the company's efforts to strengthen its natural gas transmission system and advance industry best practices today and in the future. For more information, visit www.pge.com/pipeline2020.
PG&E has the privilege of serving more than 15 million Californians with gas and electricity. Every action PG&E takes each day places public safety and the safety of the communities we serve as our highest priority. PG&E is committed to fully supporting the NTSB's efforts in investigating the root cause of the San Bruno accident, which will help us enhance the safety of our system.
SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company
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