Informed Opinions on Today’s Topics : Gas Shut-Off Valves: Time for a Mandate?

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Council declined to approve a plan that would require all new city buildings to be equipped with automatic gas shut-off valves, sending the proposal to the council’s Public Safety Committee for further study. Under Councilman Hal Bernson’s plan, the devices, which stop the flow of gas during and after an earthquake, would be required in all new buildings, structures being substantially remodeled, mobile home parks and multifamily residential buildings. Critics have argued that the devices may create more problems for the city if they can be triggered by insignificant aftershocks or vibrations caused by traffic.

Should Los Angeles require all new buildings to be equipped with automatic gas shut-off valves?

Vicki Estrada, spokeswoman for Southern California Gas Co.:

“We are opposed to regulations and legislation to mandate the installation of these devices. Part of the reason why we’re opposed is that they’re so easily triggered. They may be triggered by a truck driving by, for instance. The problem we had in the Northridge earthquake is that there were people who panicked (and shut off their gas unnecessarily). If these devices were mandated, that would pose a lot of operational problems to the company. Another problem is that there’s not a real consistent standard for manufacturers to follow. . . . Overall, we’re still opposed to mandating the widespread installation of these devices. It ought to be a personal decision. When customers buy these devices, they ought to think about the potential drawbacks.”

Hal Bernson, city councilman:

Shut-off valves “would prevent fires in the case of gas lines that rupture. We had a number of gas lines that ruptured in this recent quake. . . . Had it not occurred at 4:31 a.m., people would not have been home to turn the gas off. In the history of earthquakes, most of the damage is caused by fires. . . . The council’s going to have to have the courage to do what’s right. I don’t know if this council has those guts. It just depends on what the council does. . . . This nonsense that a truck is going to trigger it, or a much smaller quake, is absolutely untrue. I would prefer to see the standards change so they’re not quite so sensitive, but in the meantime, we need some protection. If the standards change, the valves will have to be changed, just like our building codes. We need some action on this.”

Don Nicolaides, owner of Fullerton-based Quakemaster, a valve manufacturer:

“We’re very critical about the construction and design of our valves. Ours are not very sensitive. It’s sensitive where it needs to be. A big truck or a train is not going to set it off. The only reason it would go off unnecessarily is if it wasn’t installed properly. If it’s installed properly, it’ll work. . . . It would be very good for business--my business, but I have some reservations about mandating it. How many things work properly that are mandatory? . . . I think people need to be aware of (these devices). Unfortunately, the gas company has taken a very negative stand on them, but I see their side. If they have to start up 50,000 homes again, that’s a problem. With any of the valves on the market, the homeowner can reset (the gas). People need to be able to detect a gas leak before they do it.”

Gary Sills, senior architect supervisor for the office of the state architect of California, the agency that regulates the valves’ manufacture and sale:

“Our policy as the state architect’s office is that we’re neutral. We do recommend in highly seismic areas that people consider all things to protect their property, like strapping their water heaters down, which is now required in the state of California. People can anchor bookcases to the wall, they can anchor file cabinets, place latches on their cabinet doors--simple, common things. . . . I don’t believe (the valves are as faulty as critics say), but we’re not getting enough feedback from earthquakes and the people who have (the valves). One of the projects we want to do is take different manufacturers . . . and subject (their valves) to different earthquake frequencies so we can compare and see what happens to manufacturer A and manufacturer B. We hope we can toughen up the seismic response even more.”