FLEMINGSBURG UTILITIES SYSTEM

Incident Narrative

RECEIVED AN ODOR COMPLAINT ON JANUARY 28TH 2016 AT 3AM FROM MASON COUNTY KENTUCKY EMERGENCY DISPATCH THAT A CUSTOMER HAD REPORTED THE SMELL OF NATURAL GAS AT OR NEAR 5040 MAIN STREET MAYSLICK KENTUCKY. AFTER TWO CITY OF FLEMINGSBURG NATURAL GAS EMPLOYEES DANNY SHROUT AND COLBY MCCLOUD RESPONDED THEY MADE THE DETERMINATION THAT THE LEAK WAS NOT AN EMERGENCY AND NO THREAT TO LOSS OF LIFE OR ANY STRUCTURE WOULD OCCUR AND IT SHOULD BE FIXED WHEN IT BECAME DAYLIGHT THAT SAME DAY. AT APPROXIMATELY 8AM ON JANUARY 28TH 2016 THREE DIFFERENT CITY OF FLEMINGSBURG NATURAL GAS EMPLOYEES COTY HUNT, MIKE BROWN AND SCOTTY MASTERS WAS ASSIGNED TO DIG OUT AND REPAIR THE LEAK AT OR NEAR 5040 MAIN STREET MAYSLICK KENTUCKY, THE SAID THREE EMPLOYEES ARRIVED ON THE JOB SITE OF THE LEAK AT APPROXIMATELY 9AM. THE LEAK WAS PINPOINTED BY A NATURAL GAS LEAK DETECTOR ABOVE GROUND AND THEN EXCAVATING WAS STARTED, ONCE THE FOUR INCH MAIN WAS LOCATED AND HAD BEEN EXPOSED IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT A ONE INCH SERVICE LINE SADDLE ATTACHED TO THE FOUR INCH MAIN WAS LEAKING AROUND A SEAL APPARENTLY. ONE EMPLOYEE MIKE BROWN TIGHTENED THE FOUR BOLTS ON THE SADDLE TO TRY TO STOP THE ESCAPING NATURAL GAS BUT IT DID NOT STOP THE LEAK. AFTER THIS ATTEMPT EMPLOYEE COTY HUNT CALLED FROM HIS CELL PHONE TO SUPERINTENDENT JOE DUNAWAY TO EXPLAIN TO HIM WHAT THEY HAD DISCOVERED AND WANTED TO KNOW WHAT STEPS SHOULD BE TAKEN NOW, THE SUPERINTENDENT INSTRUCTED TO LOOSEN THE BOLTS UP ON THE SADDLE AND THEN ATTEMPT TO TIGHTEN THE BOLTS ONCE AGAIN AS TIGHT AS THEY COULD GET THEM, COTY HUNT AGREED TO DO SO AND SAID HE WOULD CALL BACK IF IT DIDN'T WORK. COTY HUNT RELAYED TO MIKE BROWN WHAT THE SUPERINTENDENT HAD EXPLAINED TO HIM TO DO AND THEN MIKE BROWN ATTEMPTED TO STOP THE ESCAPING NATURAL GAS BUT THIS TO FAILED TO STOP THE LEAK. COTY HUNT AGAIN CALLED FROM HIS CELL PHONE TO SUPERINTENDENT JOE DUNAWAY TO EXPLAIN TO HIM WHAT THEY TRIED BUT HAD FAILED TO STOP THE LEAK, THE SUPERINTENDENT EXPLAINED TO COTY HUNT REMOVE THE SADDLE WHICH WOULD EXPOSE A HOLE IN THE FOUR INCH MAIN, PLACE A TEMPORARY FULL CIRCLE REPAIR CLAMP OVER THE HOLE TO STOP THE ESCAPING NATURAL GAS, GO EITHER UPSTREAM OR DOWNSTREAM OF THE CLAMP AND INSTALL A NEW SADDLE TO INSTALL THE ONE INCH SERVICE LINE BACK UP AND THEN WE WOULD CALL A SUB-CONTRACTOR TO COME IN AND REPAIR THE HOLE THAT WE PLACED THE TEMPORARY FULL CIRCLE CLAMP OVER. COTY HUNT THEN EXPLAINED TO EMPLOYEES MIKE BROWN AND SCOTTY MASTERS. COTY HUNT TOLD SCOTTY MASTERS TO GO BACK TO THE FLEMINGSBURG DISTRIBUTION CENTER AND GET EVERYTHING THAT WAS NEEDED TO INSTALL THE FULL CIRCLE REPAIR CLAMP AND THE SADDLE ALSO TO GET ALL THE TOOLS AND PARTS NEEDED WHILE MIKE BROWN AND HIMSELF STAY AT THE LEAK. SCOTTY MASTERS THEN RETURNED WITH WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS EVERYTHING THAT WAS NEEDED TO REPAIR THE LEAK, COTY HUNT AND SCOTTY MASTERS UNLOADED THE TOOLS AND PARTS AND THEN BEGAN HANDING MIKE BROWN THE TOOLS AND PARTS, SCOTTY MASTERS HAD BROUGHT BACK A COMBUSTIBLE GAS POWERED GENERATOR WITH AN ELECTRIC IMPACT WRENCH TO HELP WITH THE INSTALLATION OF THE FULL CIRCLE REPAIR CLAMP. EMPLOYEE MIKE BROWN REMOVED THE SADDLE FROM THE FOUR INCH MAIN WHILE NATURAL GAS WAS ESCAPING AND PLACED THE FOUR INCH REPAIR CLAMP OVER THE HOLE, THE GENERATOR WAS RUNNING BY THIS TIME AND THE ELECTRIC IMPACT WRENCH WAS PLUGGED IN AND HANDED TO MIKE BROWN TO TIGHTEN UP THE BOLTS ON THE CLAMP, HE TIGHTENED THE BOLTS BUT NATURAL GAS WAS STILL ESCAPING. COTY HUNT CALLED FROM HIS CELL PHONE TO SUPERINTENDENT JOE DUNAWAY TO EXPLAIN TO HIM WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO THIS POINT AND THE GAS WAS STILL LEAKING, THE SUPERINTENDENT INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE THE FULL CIRCLE REPAIR CLAMP AND TO SPRAY WITH SOAPY WATER AND RUN A RASP/FILE OVER THE HOLE TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WASN'T ANY ROUGH EDGES AND THE REPLACE THE FULL CIRCLE REPAIR CLAMP BACK OVER THE HOLE AND TIGHTEN THE BOLTS AS TIGHT AS YOU COULD GET THEM. COTY HUNT RELAYED TO MIKE BROWN WHAT THE SUPERINTENDENT HAD EXPLAINED TO HIM TO DO AND THEN MIKE BROWN REMOVED