Help Spread the Word About National Safe Digging MonthNational Safe Digging Month is back! This April, the damage prevention community will once again recognize the importance of protecting underground infrastructure nationwide during the annual month-long acknowledgement through our state-wide observance of Indiana Safe Digging Month, as proclaimed by Gov. Holcomb. To help you join in on the action, Indiana 811 has updated its online marketing toolkit with more resources to help remind homeowners to contact 811 before they dig to prevent injuries, property damage and inconvenient outages. Click here for access to press release templates, 811 official logos and web buttons, fact sheets, radio ads, brand new Indiana 811 logos sized for social media sharing and more.

Get Your Local Government Involved in Indiana Safe DiggingMonth!New to this year, Indiana 811 invites you to get your local government or community officials involved in Indiana Safe Digging Month! Indiana 811’s marketing toolkit now includes brand new template documents for requesting the support of your city, town, county or township government officials. Visit the marketing toolkit to download and complete the template letter to request official endorsement of Indiana Safe Digging Month and ask your government partners to share their support with the community using the toolkit’s sample article or news release. All marketing tools are free and a great way to help spread the message of safe digging in your town!

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Save the Date for the 2019 MWDPTCMark your calendar! On Nov. 6-8, The Midwest Damage Prevention Training Conference(MWDPTC) will once again take place at the French Lick Resort in French Lick, Ind. This fall, Indiana and Kentucky 811 will host their seventh annual conference, where attendees will gather once again to learn how to become damage prevention lifesavers.

Anyone who is interested in protecting the region's buried utilities and network with their industry peers is encouraged to attend! Registration opens in May, so stay tuned for early bird discounted pricing. For updates about the conference, email midwest811conference@usa811.org. Want to learn more about what the MWDPTC has to offer? Visit www.midwest811conference.com for a summary of the event and to view photos and session presentations from the 2018 MWDPTC.

Vectren Debuts Mobile-Friendly Inquiry Form for Facility LocateTicketsVectren has launched a mobile-friendly locate inquiry web form to give contractors, excavators and thegeneral public a channel to escalate feedback on their facility locate tickets. This new form allowsstakeholders to provide information regarding their locate request to Vectren for immediate attentionand resolution.

“Communication is a key component to preventing damages to underground utilities and keeping thepublic safe,” said Matt Hill, Vectren’s manager of damage prevention. “We want to provide ways forstakeholders to provide feedback or inquire about their experience, whether positive or negative.”

If excavators and contractors experience any issues with delayed or inaccurate underground utilitylocates, this form allows them to escalate that feedback directly to Vectren leadership.

“The more we can stay connected with those digging around our facilities, the better we’ll all be atpreventing damages and ensuring public safety,” added Matt Hill.

The new form is only valid for locate tickets submitted within Vectren’s natural gas and electricservice territories. Any stakeholders inquiring about tickets outside of Vectren’s service territory or

inquiring about facilities other than Vectren’s natural gas pipelines or underground electric lines will be encouraged to contact the appropriate utility company. To access Vectren’s locate ticket inquiry form from any device, visit Vectren.com/locate-inquiry.

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Stay tuned to future issues of The DIRT for details aboutthe 2019 I Dig Summer contest, which will kick off in lateMay!

Congratulations to the 2018 “I Dig Summer” Contest Winners

Last summer, Indiana 811 hosted its first-ever “I Dig Summer” Contest, which encouraged excavators to use the Indiana 811 Web Ticket Entry system, rather than calling 811 by phone. By participating, excavators not only avoided potentially long telephone hold times, but they also had the chance to win a two-night conference package to the 2018 MWDPTC, as well as cash prizes. Indiana 811 would like to congratulate the 2018 winners from Indiana. They include: Jeff Forrer, Ross Steele, Jon Nicholson, Terry Ratliff, Shane Wheeler, John Russell, Douglas Boner, James Johnston, Cassie Barrett, Delnisha Miller, Rick Langley, Todd Chambers, Joshua Werner and John Wells.

Past Issues of The DIRT Now Online!Can’t get enough of The DIRT newsletter? Want to have damage prevention news and resources right at your fingertips? You’re in luck. PDFs of past issues of The DIRT are now being archived on the Indiana 811 website. Click here to view a number of previous editions of the newsletter and quickly and easily reference educational safe digging information, key events, a variety of resourceful tools and more!

INPAA CORNER811 In Your Hometown - The INPAA Firehouse 811 ContestReturns!

As National Safe Digging Month kicks off, Indiana 811 and the Indiana Pipeline AwarenessAssociation (INPAA) are once again asking all first responders to help encourage theircommunities to contact 811 before they dig by participating in the INPAA Firehouse 811Contest!

All fire stations, police departments, emergency management centers, etc., that submit aphoto of their marquee or sign, or post on social media to promote this year’s theme “811 InYour Hometown,” will be eligible for a $100 donation to their department. In addition, three$350 grand prizes will be given for most creative, best 811 messaging, and top social mediapost. The best overall grand prize-winning department will receive 2 two-night packages to the2019 MWDPTC in November for their organization.

Starting April 1, departments are invited to submit a photo, their organization name andcontact information (including phone number and mailing address) toind811marquee@indiana811.org to enter the contest. Submissions will be accepted untilMay 31, 2019.

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DID YOU KNOW?The City of Indianapolis has guidelines in place for ALL land-disturbing projects to help protect Indiana waterways from construction-related pollutants. Whether the project is large or small, utility companies are required to follow proper erosion and sediment control practices. As part of the MS4 NPDES Permit, the city offers training for utility companies on proper storm water construction practices annually. Click here and here to check out Construction Best Management Practices’ video series, which explains stormwater management practices required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

INPAA Emergency Responder Trainings Conclude This winter, INPAA held its annual series of Emergency Responder Trainings in towns throughout Indiana. The series offered hands-on scenario-based exercises for emergency

response professionals seeking to enhance their skills and knowledge about pipeline safety.

INPAA teamed with facility operators and held 20 two-hour sessions, where attendees worked through discussion-based scenarios of pipeline-related emergencies that could take place in their communities. The meetings offered a great way for first responders to stay up to date and receive two continuing education unit credits!

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