Kingston residents urged to ‘make the right call’ in the event of utility emergencies

Utilities Kingston is asking area residents to know their electricity provider so they know who to call in the event of an electricity emergency. The utility provider is also concerned with residents reporting potentially life-threatening emergencies using email or social media, according to a media release from the company.

“This is about making the right call. We proudly serve customers in our distribution area, but there are parts of Kingston that are served by other utility providers. It’s important to know your provider and who to call in case of a utility emergency,” said Jim Miller, Chief Operating Officer of Utilities Kingston.  “We want to help people understand how to identify a utility issue. Our 24-hour emergency phone line is the safest way to report it, in our area.”

Utilities Kingston provided the following contact information for residents in the event of a power outage or electricity emergency:

• Utilities Kingston customers – check UtilitiesKingston.com/Outages or call 613-546-1181 anytime.
• Hydro One customers – report an outage by texting 92887 (WATTS), through the company’s outage map at HydroOne.com/StormCentre, or by calling 1-800-434-1235.
• Eastern Ontario Power customers – call 1-844-701-9473.

Utilities Kingston electricity customers are in central Kingston, Barriefield and CFB Kingston, according to the release. Use the address look-up tool on Utilities Kingston’s website to find out if you are in their service area: https://utilitieskingston.com/Corporate/AboutUs/ServiceAreas. If you are not in Utilities Kingston’s area, to find your provider, check your electricity bill or view a map of electricity service areas in Kingston, available at the link above.

In response to Kingstonist inquiries, Utilities Kingston stated that residents have reported the following serious utility issues using social media or email:

• Suspected downed powerlines
• Smoke coming from electrical substations
• Traffic signal outages
• Open utility boxes
• Water main breaks
• Power outages

Utility issues can create a serious safety hazard, and Utilities Kingston is requesting all potential emergencies be phoned in to their emergency line. Some examples of an emergency, and what to do in that instance, are:

• If you see a downed power line or other life-threatening situation, call your electricity provider’s emergency line or 911.
• Tree branches on power lines, open utility boxes and damaged hydro poles could all create serious safety risks and should be immediately reported. Call the electricity provider for your area.

“Utility issues should always be reported using our emergency line at 613-546-1181, which is secure, private and monitored 24/7, whereas email and social media are monitored during business hours and it can take up to two business days to receive a response,” the utility company reiterated in an email to Kingstonist.

Learn how to prepare for – and prevent – utility issues and emergencies at UtilitiesKingston.com