NORTHWEST GAS

Incident Narrative

INVESTIGATION OF THE INCIDENT OF DECEMBER 7, 2013 AT NORTHWEST GAS' CASS LAKE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM TBS. AT AROUND 8:30 AM, A CASS LAKE SCHOOL SYSTEM EMPLOYEE NOTED GAS LEAKING FROM THE SERVICE RELIEF VALVE AT THE CASS LAKE HIGH SCHOOL. HE REPORTED THIS TO HIS SUPERVISOR, PETE RAIRDON (AT HOME AT THE TIME). MR. TOLD HIS EMPLOYEE THAT HE ( MR. RAIRDON) WAS ON HIS WAY TO HELP AND ALSO INSTRUCTED HIS EMPLOYEE TO CALL THE CASS LAKE FIRE DEPARTMENT IN CASE THE PROBLEM WAS MORE THAN THE TWO OF THEM COULD HANDLE. AT 9:12 AM JACK PALKKI (NW GAS ON-CALL TECHNICIAN) RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE CASS COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT DISPATCHER THAT THE CASS LAKE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS ON-SITE AT THE CASS LAKE HIGH SCHOOL AND THAT THERE WAS AN OUTDOOR GAS LEAK REPORTED. JACK ASKED FOR AN ON-SITE CONTACT NUMBER WHICH HE WAS GIVEN AND WHEN HE MADE CONTACT WITH THE ON-SITE PERSONNEL LEARNED THAT THE GAS WAS NOW OFF AND THE SITUATION AT THE SCHOOL WAS SAFE. JACK THEN CALLED JOE ROY (NW GAS AREA SUPERVISOR) TO CONFER ABOUT WHAT WOULD LIKELY BE NEEDED TO RETURN THE SCHOOL SERVICE TO OPERATION. AT THIS POINT THE SUSPICION WAS A FAILED SERVICE REGULATOR AND THE DISCUSSION REFLECTED THAT. A SECOND CALL FROM THE SHERIFF'S DISPATCHER REPORTING GAS LEAKING FROM THE SERVICE RELIEF VALVE AT THE CASINO PROMPTED JACK AND JOE TO SUSPECT A LARGER PROBLEM AND TO GET JACK GOING IMMEDIATELY TO CASS LAKE. THE GAS WAS REPORTED SHUT OFF AT THE CASINO WHICH TERMINATED THE LEAK THERE AS WELL. AT THIS POINT, JOE RECEIVED A CALL FROM GARY LINDSTROM, THE CASS LAKE AREA GREAT LAKES GAS TRANSMISSION COMPANY FIELD TECHNICIAN, THAT A NEIGHBOR TO THE TBS LOCATION HAD REPORTED A HISSING SOUND AND THAT MR. LINDSTROM WAS ENROUTE (1/2 HOUR TRAVEL). JOE GAVE MR. LINDSTROM JACK'S CELL NUMBER SO THAT THE TWO FIELD TECHS COULD COMMUNICATE. JACK RECEIVED A CALL AT 11:07 FROM MR. LINDSTROM, WHO HAD JUST ARRIVED AT THE CASS LAKE TBS SITE, REPORTING THAT THERE WAS INDEED GAS ESCAPING FROM OUR SYSTEM'S TATTLE-TALE RELIEF VALVE AND THAT THE ESCAPING GAS HAD IGNITED. JACK INSTRUCTED MR. LINDSTROM TO CALL THE CASS LAKE FIRE DEPARTMENT, WHICH MR. LINDSTROM DID. AT THIS POINT, JACK WAS VERY CLOSE TO THE SITE AND ARRIVED BEFORE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT DID. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ALSO REPORTED THAT THEY HAD TURNED OFF A THIRD SERVICE (AT MAUREEN MOOSE'S RESIDENCE) DUE TO GAS LEAKAGE FROM THE REGULATOR RELIEF OPENING. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE NO ACCESSIBLE PRESSURE GAUGES PRESENT WHICH COULD BE USED TO VERIFY THE DISTRIBUTION PIPELINE PRESSURE, JACK DETERMINED THAT IT WOULD BE BEST TO REDUCE THE PRESSURE IN OUR PIPELINE, SO HE TURNED OFF A GREAT LAKES VALVE TO ACCOMPLISH THIS. AT THIS POINT JOE ROY CALLED MIKE GORHAM, OWNER OF THE SYSTEM TO ADVISE HIM OF THE EVENTS GOING ON AND THAT JOE WAS ENROUTE TO CASS LAKE. JOE ALSO CALLED STEVE MCNIFF (ANOTHER NW GAS FIELD TECH) TO GET HIM MOVING TO CASS LAKE. MIKE PROCEEDED TO ACT AS THE INCIDENT RESPONSE LEADER COORDINATING THE RESPONSE FROM THAT POINT. WITH THE GAS TURNED OFF AT THE GREAT LAKES END AND THE PRESSURE IN THE PIPELINE FALLING, MIKE ASKED JACK TO ARRANGE FOR A FIREMAN IN TURNOUT GEAR TO APPROACH THE STILL-DISCHARGING RELIEF VALVE AND TURN IT OFF IF THAT OPERATION COULD BE SAFELY ACCOMPLISHED IN TURNOUT GEAR. THE FIREMAN AGREED AND THE GAS WAS SHUT OFF, WHICH EXTINGUISHED ALMOST ALL OF THE FIRE, THE ONLY REMNANT BEING GAS ESCAPING FROM THE SECOND-STAGE REGULATOR PILOT ON THE WEST REGULATOR RUN, WHICH WAS THEN ISOLATED USING THE INSTALLED ISOLATION VALVES. THIS ELIMINATION OF THE FIRE HAZARD ALLOWED FOR THE INSERTION OF A PRESSURE GAUGE IN THE DISTRIBUTION PIPELINE. THE INITIAL READING OF THIS GAUGE WAS JUST UNDER 110 PSIG. AT THIS POINT, MIKE DIRECTED JOE TO STOP FIRST AT THE REPORTED GAS-OFF SITES TO RESTORE SERVICE. SERVICE WAS SUCCESSFULLY RESTORED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS RELEASED FROM ALL OF THE RESPONSE SITES. THE NW GAS RESPONSE NOW TURNED TO PRESE