AOG Presents Safety Class and Mock Line Strike Demonstration to Educate Importance of Pipeline Safety

6/17/2021

FORT SMITH, AR – To enhance community safety, Arkansas Oklahoma Gas (AOG) conducted a Damage Prevention Class and Mock Gas-Line Strike Demonstration at the Fort Smith Regional Airport for local first responders and professionals on June 10, 2021. The mock strike, performed by AOG team members, gave attendees a visual example of the circumstances that can arise on a job site if a natural gas line is hit and how to respond to the situation.

The June 10th event brought together more than sixty emergency responders, contractors and utility operators – including the Fort Smith Fire Department and the City of Fort Smith.

“At AOG, safety is always front of mind. It’s important for first responders to understand potential dangers and how to be more observant when you’re working around natural gas. Performing a mock line strike gives everyone the opportunity to observe the impact of hitting a gas line in a controlled setting,” explained Dustin Walderns, Damage Prevention Coordinator.

The best way to prevent a line strike is for businesses, contractors and community members to call 811 before any digging project. This gives utilities the opportunity to mark and locate all underground facilities including natural gas lines, sewer lines, electric lines, and more to prevent line strikes. Each year AOG works hard to educate stakeholders in their service territories about the importance of calling 811. Despite this work, line strikes still occur. Failing to locate pipelines or follow proper safety procedures when digging can have severe consequences: ruptured lines, leaks of natural gas or hazardous liquids, injuries and even fatalities, which is why educating and training first responders is so important.

“Having a live demonstration is much more impactful than watching a video or sitting through a lecture. At AOG, safety is our top priority. These classes teach our local emergency responders, construction workers, and utility operators in our service areas how to be safe around natural gas,” said Mark Haptonstall, Environmental Health & Safety Manager.

In addition to discussing damage prevention and the mock gas-line strike demonstration, attendees at the event were educated in calling 811, identifying pipeline leaks and responding to line strikes. The mock line strike, which involved local firefighters, utility operators and construction workers, reinforced lessons learned during earlier classroom sessions.