December is the coldest month of the year in L.A., which means natural gas safety is especially important when heaters are turned on high. SoCalGas conducted a safety learning event at Kingsley Elementary in East Hollywood on Dec. 12. One hundred eighty fourth and fifth graders learned about the properties of natural gas and how to recognize the signs of a gas leak.
How to recognize a gas leak:
Look, Listen or Smell
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• Spotting a dry patch of grass in your yard is one of many signs of a potential gas leak.
• An unusual sound, such as a hissing, whistling or roaring sound near a gas line or appliance may indicate a gas leak
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• The distinctive odor of natural gas. SoCalGas adds an odorant to give natural gas a distinctive odor so leaks can be more readily detected.
Some people may not be able to smell the odor because they have a diminished sense of smell, olfactory fatigue (normal, temporary inability to distinguish an odor after prolonged exposure to it) or because the odor is being masked or hidden by other odors that are present, such as cooking, damp, musty or chemical odors. In addition, certain conditions in pipe and soil can cause odor fade - the loss of odorant so that it is not detectable by smell.
If you smell a natural gas odor, hear the hissing sound of gas escaping or see other signs of a leak:
• Remain calm.
• Don't light a match, candle or cigarette.
• Don't turn electrical appliances or lights on or off or use any device that could cause a spark.
• Immediately evacuate the area, and from a safe location, call SoCalGas at 1-800-427-2200 24 hours a day, seven days a week; or call 911.
For more information, visit StayGasSafe.org.
