BGE’s Captain Mercaptan Natural Gas Safety Contest Kicks Off
January 24 2017 - 3:11PM
Business Wire
First five contest entries eligible for a
special prize this year
Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) today announced the
kickoff of the 2017 “Adventures of Captain MercaptanSM, BGE Natural
Gas Safety Hero Challenge.” The annual contest encourages
elementary school students in BGE’s service area to illustrate a
gas safety message featuring Captain Mercaptan, BGE’s fictional
natural gas safety superhero. The contest, now in its fourth year,
will award a total of $35,000 to eligible schools.
Entries will be accepted through March 19. A special prize
will be awarded to the first five teachers to submit an entry.
Public and private elementary schools in BGE’s service area are
urged to download the online entry kit and read our comic book
featuring Captain Mercaptan. In the comic book, Captain Mercaptan
teaches kids how to recognize a natural gas leak and what steps to
take when you smell gas. Captain Mercaptan’s name is derived from
“mercaptan,” a safety additive that BGE and other utilities put in
natural gas to give it a distinctive rotten egg odor that makes gas
easier to detect. The superhero and his safety sidekicks were
designed by elementary school students through a BGE contest.
“Safety is part of our culture at BGE and maintaining a safe and
reliable natural gas system for our customers is imperative,” said
Christie McMullen, vice president of Gas Distribution, BGE.
“Campaigns like the ‘Captain Mercaptan Natural Gas Safety Hero
Challenge’ were designed for elementary school students to help
them learn important aspects about working and living safely around
natural gas. Students ultimately become safety ambassadors by
taking the message home to their families.”
Schools are also encouraged to use the teacher’s guide at
BGEGasHero.com to review gas safety concepts with kindergarten
through fifth grade students, and begin creating their contest
entries. Beginning March 27, entries will compete for votes during
a two-week, online public voting period. The winning schools will
be announced in May. Last year’s winning entry was from Fallstaff
Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore. To date, BGE has awarded
over $100,000 to area schools during the first three years of the
contest.
Eligible schools will have an opportunity to win the following
awards:
- BGE Captain’s Choice Award - $5,000
overall top winner among the Hero Award winners, meaning this
school receives a total of $10,000
- BGE Hero Award - $5,000 for winners in
kindergarten through fifth grade (one winner per grade)
- Rock the Vote (for the drawing with the
most online votes) – BGE backpacks full of school supplies and
safety gear
Captain Mercaptan teaches children that they can be a hero too
if they follow these simple safety tips:
- Use your nose. Mercaptan is a safety
scent that BGE puts in natural gas to give it a rotten egg
smell.
- Use your ears. Listen for the hissing
sound of escaping gas.
- Use your eyes. Look for dirt being
blown into the air, dead plants or grass in otherwise green areas,
fire coming from the ground or water bubbling and being blown into
the air.
- If you detect natural gas, leave
immediately.
- Don’t attempt to detect the source of
the leak.
- Don’t use matches or turn anything on
(including a cell phone).
- Find a safe place outside and call BGE
or have an adult call 1.800.685.0123.
BGE traces its roots back to 1816 and the first gas utility in
North America. Today the company provides safe, reliable natural
gas service to more than 650,000 gas customers in central Maryland.
Customers are reminded to immediately contact BGE at 1.800.685.0123
from a safe location if they have any questions or concerns about
natural gas. For more information on the Captain Mercaptan contest,
including future adventures, visit bgegashero.com. Gas safety tips
are available at bge.com/CaptainMercaptan.
BGE, founded in 1816 as the nation’s first gas utility, is
Maryland’s largest natural gas and electric utility. Headquartered
in Baltimore, BGE delivers power to more than 1.25 million electric
customers and more than 650,000 natural gas customers in central
Maryland. The company’s approximately 3,200 employees are committed
to the safe and reliable delivery of natural gas and electricity,
as well as enhanced energy management, conservation, environmental
stewardship and community assistance. The company also has an
estimated annual economic impact of $5 billion of output in its
service area, supporting more than 9,500 local jobs and producing
$923 million in labor income. BGE is a subsidiary of Exelon
Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation’s leading competitive energy
provider. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, YouTube and
Flickr.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170124006389/en/
Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE)Justin Mulcahy,
justin.mulcahy@bge.comBGE Media Hotline: 410-470-7433
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