We live in a unique area where industrial, commercial and residential areas must share the same space. The safe delivery of petroleum products, water, telephone, internet and other utilities requires a vast network of underground infrastructure, also known as linear infrastructure. And protecting that network from accidents created by an unsuspecting member of the public, construction company or industry is the job of the Edmonton Area Pipeline and Utility Operators’ Committee (EAPUOC).
EAPUOC is a not-for-profit, multi-stakeholder organization that includes companies, municipalities and agencies who are committed to community safety and awareness. We promote best practices around buried pipelines and utilities and cables, and act as a communications network during emergencies, in the Capital Region.
March 2, 2019 Edmonton, AB– Local historians, municipal government, safety advocates and the capital region’s underground infrastructure operators marked the 40th anniversary of one of the largest peacetime civic evacuations on record at the Mill Woods Public Library this Saturday.
On March 2, 1979, first responders safely shepherded 19,000 Mill Woods residents from their homes following the rupture of an underground propane pipeline and subsequent fire that burned for 16 hours. The incident lasted for two days and was later attributed to an accidental and unreported contact with a propane pipeline.
“This unprecedented chain of events was certainly a defining moment for our city,” explains Former Mayor Cecil Purves. “Not only did it bring people together, it was the catalyst for positive changes that have helped to protect our community going forward.”
Read more…Across Canada, safe digging advocates are coming together in support of an important bill that needs traction. Introduced in December 2015 by the Honourable Senator Grant Mitchell, Bill S-229 is an Underground Infrastructure Safety Enhancement Act that will create a federal notification system.
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