After a 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck the Illinois-Indiana state line on April 18, the Indiana Association of Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors (Indiana PHCC) took the lead on providing consumers with after-earthquake safety tips.

In a news release to the local Indianapolis media, the Indiana PHCC recommended that consumers check for plumbing leaks after the earthquake. They also provided water heater safety tips, advice on what to do if there are water or gas leaks, and encouraged consumers to call a PHCC contractor if they had questions. The information was also posted on the association’s Website and e-mailed to contractor and associate members. At the individual member level, Dave Heffner, Heffner and Associates LLC, Indianapolis, sent an e-mail blast to his customers asking them to check for potential plumbing leaks.

“We were pleased to help by disseminating information from the experts, our members,” said Indiana PHCC Executive Director Brenda Dant. “Public health and safety are the cornerstones of our industry and the power of the association is that it is able to quickly assist homeowners during emergencies such as this.”

The information from the news release appeared on the Website of NBC’s Indianapolis affiliate, and then was picked up by MSNBC.

The Indiana PHCC is a not-for-profit trade association that represents the professional plumbing-heating-cooling contractor and affiliated manufacturers and suppliers in the state of Indiana. It is an affiliate of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors-National Association, which provides legislative advocacy, education, and training to more than 4,000 plumbing and HVACR businesses and 80,000 technicians.

Publication date: 05/19/2008