What to do in an Emergency
In order to know what to do in an Emergency you must first know what constitutes an Emergency.

As defined by KRS 367.4903 of the Underground Facility Damage Prevention Act of 1994 ‘“Emergency” means there exists substantial likelihood that loss of life, property, or the inability to restore interrupted utility service will result”’.

If an emergency situation exists it is advised to contact the Call Center as soon as possible. In addition to contacting the Call Center the excavator should also:
(1) Cease excavation or demolition activities and notify all affected operators of the location and nature if the excavation or demolition results in underground facility damage
(2) Notify appropriate public safety agencies (e.g. 911) if there is concern for public or workplace safety.

Kentucky 811 handles emergency situations in one of two ways. If the emergency situation involves having to dig or needing underground facility lines marked (including lines needed to be marked again) then an Emergency Locate Request will be submitted. If the emergency situation involves only reporting that an underground facility has been damaged then a Damage/Emergency Ticket will be produced. The Damage/Emergency Ticket is not a locate request, it is to notify our Members that the damage has occurred. There are some instances where both ticket types, an Emergency Locate Request and a Damage/Emergency Ticket, will be entered.

When submitting an Emergency Locate Request you should be prepared to offer the following information to the Call Center:
a) your name
b) the excavator’s name, address, and telephone number
c) the excavation or demolition site location or locations, each of which shall not exceed two thousand (2,000) feet in length unless the excavator and operator agree to a larger area, the city or community, county and street address, including the nearest cross street
d) the type and extent of work to be done
e) a contact name and telephone number of the person responsible for the work

When submitting a Damage/Emergency Ticket you should be prepared to offer the following information to the Call Center in addition to the information listed above:
a) the type of line that has been affected?; if the type of line is unknown, can you rule out a gas line?; if a gas line is involved is gas blowing?; if a phone line is involved what is the phone number or at least the area code and prefix if known?
b) the name of the utility company the line belongs to
c) where on the property did the damage occur
d) is there a crew on site
e) has the affected utility company been contacted
f) if necessary has 911 been contacted