Did you attend an APACT meeting this past year? Did you notice anything different?
Alabama 811’s Alabama Pipeline Awareness Cooperative Training, or APACT, has been a huge success over the years. This past year was no different in success, but it may have had a new face or two at the podium.
APACT continued our successful partnership with Paradigm that began in 2023, and we began a new partnership with the Alabama Pipeline Emergency Response Initiative (APERI). In 2024 the APACT program was taught by our 811 Damage Prevention Coordinators along with an instructor from the APERI program. This partnership added depth to the overall education program. The APERI instructors were able to provide real-life experiences and educational content to those in attendance.
The APACT program was presented in 16 cities throughout the state. Attendance averaged just over 100 people per meeting with a grand total of almost 1,700 people hearing the program. The feedback received from our new partnership with APERI has been very positive and we look forward to continuing to partner with APERI and Paradigm in 2025 and for years to come.
The APACT program was developed to provide pipeline and natural gas operators in our state with a way to help them meet their public awareness and education goals. Each year, emergency responders, public officials, and excavators throughout the state are invited to attend a regional meeting where the operators provide free educational training, a meal, and time to foster working relationships with each entity represented. The training includes information on how to live and work safely around natural gas and pipeline facilities, how to utilize the 811 system, and how to respond if a release or incident were to occur. We encourage all excavators, local utility operators, public works crews, city leaders, public officials, and emergency responder groups to attend. The annual training provides excellent educational opportunities for all in attendance. The face-to-face interaction between natural gas and pipeline operators with all others in attendance is very valuable. Knowing who to contact and how to reach them during an emergency situation is extremely important and should be established prior to the occurrence of an incident.
If you are interested in attending one of these free meetings, please visit our website for the meeting schedule to find a meeting location near you: https://al.pipeline- awareness.com
Meeting dates are in the process of being confirmed and are tentatively scheduled for June through August of this year. When viewing the meeting schedule online, be sure to click on the meeting you wish to attend and RSVP in advance. We look forward to seeing you at an APACT meeting this year.
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