Page 10 - Texas811 Magazine 2020 Issue 4

Damage Prevention
Council of Texas
Update
By Jennifer Pratt
Damage Prevention Council of Texas
2020 has been a year, hasn’t it? Our way of life, our way of doing business and our way of interacting as an industry was uprooted, turned upside down and we are still trying to figure it all out. As an organization, the Damage Prevention Council of Texas wasn’t without challenges of our own. We pivoted
and moved our meetings online and began offering more virtual education opportunities. We continued to provide the necessary information and tools to help you dig safer even during these trying times. We also spent some time planning for 2021.
Here are a few of the things that we are looking forward to in 2021.
Board Elections
In October, we launched the call for nominations for the DPC of Texas Board of Directors. We are expanding our board to add industry diversity and include additional stakeholders. If you or someone you know are interested in serving on our Board of Directors, we are still accepting nominations. Visit our website dpcoftexas.org for more information.
Annual Meeting
Our 2021 DPC of Texas Annual Meeting will be held at the Texas811 Annual
Summit on February 9, 2021 from 2:30 pm – 4:20 pm Central time. Join us as we announce our new Board
of Directors for the 2021-2022 term and provide you with a review of our damage prevention efforts in 2020.
2021 Goal Planning
The DPC of Texas Staff and Board
of Directors have established goals
for 2021. Our 2021 theme is Industry
– Community – United. In 2021, you
can expect to see us work to expand
our member diversity by increasing excavator and contractor participation in 2021. Invite an excavator to a chapter meeting, invite them to a webinar, invite them to a Safety Day. Help us spread the damage prevention message by inviting everyone you know that puts
a shovel to the ground. In addition to expanding our excavator outreach, we will be launching two new outreach groups. One is a Women’s Leadership group, all women in Damage Prevention are welcome to join and participate. The other group is a Hispanic Outreach group. Look for more information on both of these groups as we move into 2021.
Current Initiatives
The DPC of Texas and its members are currently working on two initiatives to help spread the Call Before You Dig
message. We have a Rural Outreach committee formed to reach farmers, ranchers and rural land owners on the importance of pipeline safety on and around their land. Our other group is
a Homeowner Outreach committee, which as its name suggests, is to reach homeowners through a number of outlets. We encourage you to help these efforts by joining a committee.
Sharing the Message
Awareness across the state is key to reducing the damages to all utilities. Getting the right message in front
of as many people as possible can
help reduce damages. Follow us on FaceBook or on LinkedIn and share our posts. Soon, we will begin providing infographics and messaging for our members who participate in online message boards like NextDoor to post and spread awareness messages to their communities. We need your help, we cannot do this alone.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or would like to volunteer for one of our outreach committees, please email jenniferpratt@ dpcoftexas.org, visit our website at www. dpcoftexas.org or call your regional Damage Prevention Manager.
8 • Texas811 2020, Issue 4