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Equitable Gas Company Announces Heating Season Safety Tips

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To help avoid problems, customers are urged to follow these basic tips:

    --  If you smell natural gas outside or inside your home or business,
        immediately leave the area and from a safe location call Equitable Gas
        at 1-800-253-3928 or 911.
    --  Have your heating systems checked and serviced by a licensed
        professional.
    --  Keep all natural gas vents unobstructed and free of debris.

Equitable Gas Company reminds customers they should never attempt to cook or heat their homes through methods that may be unsafe due to the possibility of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning or fire. Customers should follow these CO and fire safety tips:

    --  Customers should have a battery-operated CO detector and smoke detector
        in their home and the batteries should be checked and replaced each
        spring and fall.
    --  Never use a gas range or oven for heating. Using a gas range or oven for
        heating can cause a build up of CO inside your home.
    --  Never use a charcoal, propane or barbecue grill indoors.
    --  Never use portable propane camp stoves, lanterns or heaters indoors.
    --  Never use a generator inside your home, basement, or garage.

Equitable Gas Company is a provider of safe and dependable natural gas service to approximately 275,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers located mainly in the city of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Its customer base also includes more than 200 municipalities in nine other counties in western Pennsylvania, 12 counties in central and northern West Virginia, and nine counties in eastern Kentucky. Additional information about Equitable Gas can be obtained through its Web site at www.equitablegas.com.

SOURCE Equitable Gas Company