SAN DIEGO, June 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of San Diego Gas & Electric's (SDG&E) commitment to safety, SDG&E holds regular natural gas safety trainings for regional first responders. These trainings are a key component of SDG&E's commitment to keep our community and first responders safe and create an opportunity for first responders and SDG&E to work together to better understand each group's role when responding to a natural gas incident.

"Our goal is to help first responders work safely when responding to emergencies where natural gas utilities are involved," said Jimmie Cho, vice president of field services for SDG&E. "By opening the lines of communication before an incident occurs we can better ensure the safety of our community."

While major natural gas incidents are rare there are many third-party threats to SDG&E's natural gas infrastructure that require SDG&E and first responders to work together. For example, a car could hit a natural gas meter resulting in a broken gas line, a contractor or resident could strike a natural gas line while digging or natural gas may need to be turned off so firefighters can safely respond to a house fire. 

In addition to regular trainings, SDG&E is directly connected to emergency responders through an integrated dispatch center. The integrated dispatch center serves as an information hub, creating a seamless communication line between SDG&E and first responders. This connection has played a significant role in decreasing SDG&E's response time and increasing the sharing of accurate information.

"We want to ensure that our emergency responders have the tools to do their job to protect the public and one of those tools is knowing when and how to reach SDG&E," added Cho.

A new video highlights the importance of SDG&E's connection with first responders.

SDG&E is a regulated public utility that provides safe and reliable energy service to 3.4 million consumers through 1.4 million electric meters and more than 860,000 natural gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange counties. The utility's area spans 4,100 square miles. SDG&E is committed to creating ways to help customers save energy and money every day. SDG&E is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego.  Connect with SDG&E's Customer Contact Center at 800-411-7343, on Twitter (@SDGE) and Facebook.

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SOURCE San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E)