RE: [californiadisasters] San Bruno's Fire Chief Was in Dark About Pipeline

Hind sight is a great learning tool too, we used to review pretty much all fire/medical/hazmat calls to see what could be learned or improved.  There is always a lesson to glean from it.

 

PG&E gas service lines ran off of the feeder (supply) line; service was DONE on the feeder line within recent history (and documented); pressure changes and tests were recently done (and documented); the folks doing those things are still employed by PG&E (maybe not for long now) and I’m pretty sure they knew where to effect repairs or where the testing points were located.  Sorry, the pipe and a fiber optic line don’t compare for life hazard risks (except that the fiber line may carry emergency communications, such as the 911 phone line).

 

However in fairness, when an optic line was cut (last year in south bay?) it took a while to effect a repair and many companies got a rude awakening (loss of data and phone lines).  But even with the communication loss risks, the risk of a failed fiber line isn’t at the same level as a blown gas line, thousands won’t be at risk of immediate loss of life or be forced to flee from it.

 

Rick

 

 

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From Dan Waterhouse
 

I think Michael's point about 20/20 hindsight is well-taken.

 

From personal experience, I can safely say that the size and scope of many utilities such as pipelines, fiberoptic lines, and telephone lines are totally unknown to present-day personnel because the construction records no longer exist. Here in the Central Valley, Caltrans engineering staff were surprised to find a hundreds-of-miles long fiberoptic line buried in the shoulder of Route 99 a few years ago. Why? There were no records extant of its installation. Because I had typed (in 1985!) the permit authorizing 200 miles of the line's construction, I was able to confirm it had been legally constructed. Everyone else connected with the utility's project had retired or left Caltrans.

 

--dan waterhouse

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