Contractors and volunteers praise Dig Alert; company demonstrates bulk dig-ticket tool used in fire cleanup
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Summary
During public comment industry representatives described use of a bulk-ticketing tool developed with Dig Alert that accelerated cleanup after a Southern California fire, and urged the board to note the operational benefits.
Industry and contractor representatives used the board's public-comment period to describe a dig-ticket management tool and to thank Dig Alert staff for support during post-fire cleanup operations in Southern California.
Ron Bianchini, who identified himself as a founding participant in related local efforts, said Dig Alert staff and volunteers helped coordinate large crews during debris-removal operations and that the service sped work for victims. "You guys really need to be aware of all the help that we got out of Dig Alert and how much it helped the people...getting cleaned up and getting their lives back on the way," Bianchini told the board.
Logan Downer, representing a company called Excavate (described during the comment as a "dig ticket management system for excavators"), said the company adapted its bulk-upload tool to submit 50–350 dig tickets per day for cleanup crews in Altadena after a fire. "We had been working on a tool for Firewise to enable a bulk upload...When the debris removal efforts started in Altadena, it was a pretty obvious translation of this tool," Downer said. He said his company and Dig Alert worked through operational kinks and that the tool is being prepared for deployment in Northern California.
Why it matters: The commenters described a practical, operational approach to managing high volumes of simple dig tickets during disaster cleanup. Board members and staff took note of the work as an example of collaboration between industry, nonprofits and the regional notification system.
What was said (direct quotes): - Ron Bianchini: "I'll let Logan talk about the rest of it, but you guys really need to be aware of all the help that we got out of Dig Alert and how much it helped the people...getting cleaned up and getting their lives back on the way." - Logan Downer (Excavate): "Our customers are able to submit 50 to 350 tickets in a single day so that they can get to that many more properties faster. ... We're working to deploy this tool in Northern California, we're not there yet, but it is something we're working on getting done hopefully by this summer."
Board response and context: Board members heard the comments during the public-comment period that preceded enforcement and regular agenda items; staff and members noted the operational value of tools that reduce ticket-processing time during disaster recovery.
