Page 6 - Mississippi 811 Magazine 2021 Issue 3

Damage Prevention Jamie Hooker
By Michael Downes 811 Magazines
This quarter, Mississippi 811 magazine recognizes an outstanding damage investigator based in Hattiesburg as a Damage Prevention Champion.
Jamie Hooker is busy guy. But his positive demeanor and dedication to safety and damage prevention makes his job as a damage investigator with Phoenix Loss Control seem like no big deal.
But his position is a big deal, and he treats it with the gravitas it deserves.
Jamie is a one-man-show, covering Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana by himself. If damage occurs to facilities owned or operated by one of Phoenix’s third-party clients like Comcast or Xfinity — whether above or below ground — Jamie jumps in the car and heads to the scene, no matter how far away.
“I may have a call in Mobile and Jackson in the same day,” Jamie said. “I may have 8 or 9 hours in drive time. Those type of days I get an early start. It’s kind of like being a fireman, you go when the call comes in, so you’re always on call.”
He’s been a damage investigator since 2017, but his experience in documenting accident scenes and writing detailed reports goes back much farther.
Jamie leverages his 13-year military and 14-year law enforcement backgrounds to make sure his work is thorough and fair as he gathers information about each incident he investigates. Some of that work begins before he leaves his home office but getting to the scene quickly is always his goal.
Once the call comes in, he does an initial investigation by phone, and validates 811 locate tickets with locating contractor USIC.
“Once I get all the information, I go to the site and recreate the damage area, and get photos,” he said. “I try to get a heads-up on why they were working, then I get out my hit kit and see where the damage is. If the damage is covered up because the excavators had to move on before I get there, they usually take pics.”
4 • Mississippi 811
2021, Issue 3