Episode 7: Gas Pipeline Safety

[ Music ] [ A large title appears: “Gas Pipeline Safety”. A smaller title appears under it: “What if I noticea natural gas leak?” ]

>> I wanna know

>> how can I tell if there’s a natural gas leak?

>> And what should I do about it?

[ Background music. Mackenzie and Robbie stand by a colorful model of a town. Jordan walks in front of them. ]

>> Okay, ready guys? And, action! [ Silence ]

[ Jordan hoists a video camera to his shoulder and points it at the other two kids. As if seen in close-up through the camera a finger appears, digging a hole in the dirt of the model town. The finger starts to reveal a yellow gas pipeline. ]

>> Excuse me, sir, I notice that you’re about to dig. Did you call 811?

>> Don’t you mean 911? And why would I call them?

>> I mean 811. They tell you what kind of underground utilities there are ’cause if you don’t know what you’re digging into, you could dig yourself into a whole lot of trouble.

[ A yellow natural gas pipeline marker stands next to the hole with the gas pipe in it. The marker has a message on it: “WARNING GAS PIPELINE”. ]

>> That pipeline is full of natural gas and if you hit it, it could cause the gas to leak from its pipe, which is a major hazard.

>> So what does 811 do exactly?

[ A large logo appears behind Mackenzie: “811 Know what’s below. Call before you dig.” ]

>> Well, they arrange to flag the buried power lines and pipelines in your digging area so that you can dig safely away from them. And they do it all for free.

[ A hand places yellow flags in the grass around the hole with the gas pipe in it. ]

>> Well, I’ve planted trees before, how do I know I haven’t endangered us already?

>> Well, gas pipeline leaks are rare, but here are the signs:

[ Background music. A headline appears: “GAS LEAK DANGER!” Polaroid photographs of gas leak warning signs appear as Mackenzie mentions each one. ]

>> You might smell rotten eggs. You might hear a hissing or a roaring sound. You might see dirt being blown up into the air or a continual bubbling in the water. Or grass or plants that are dead or dying for no apparent reason.

>> Well, what do we do if this is a pipeline leak?

>> Well, first things first. We gotta get out of here. You don’t want to use a cell phone or anything electrical for that matter. A single spark can cause a massive explosion. So let’s call 911 from waycome on, Lucyfrom way over here.

[ Robbie stands with Lucy and Mackenzie far away from the town model. He takes his cell phone away from his ear and puts it in his pocket. ]

>> Okay. The gas company is sending someone out right away to check for a leak.

>> Good.

[ Bell sound. A gas company worker appears near the kids. ]

>> Hey, guys, thank you very much. A leak like that could have been really bad.

>> Okay, so I get the whole outdoor gas pipeline leak thing but what if I smell gas in my house?

[ Background music. A headline appears: “IF YOU SMELL GAS”. Beneath it are photos of a light switch, candle, flashlight, matches, and cell phone, each with a universal NO symbol flashing over it. ]

>> If you smell it, then don’t turn on the lights, don’t use a candle or a flashlight, matches, or even your cell phone, as any kind of spark can ignite the gas. So just leave and get everyone out of the house with you. You can go to a trusted neighbor’s house to report the leak to your natural gas utility. They take gas leaks very seriously and they’ll come out right away to fix it for you.

>> Now we know

>> how to recognize the signs

>> of a natural gas leak.

>> And what I can do to help.