Wildfire safety precautions
During wildfire season, we may take additional safety precautions to protect against wildfire. Our team of meteorologists consistently monitors weather and fire conditions around the company’s service area throughout the year. The team provides regular wildfire briefings to share the most up-to-date weather data with the company’s operational teams, who then make adjustments to the electric system based on the expected conditions. Accordingly, when the risk of wildfire is elevated, the company will place some of its system equipment on more sensitive settings to mitigate the risk of igniting a fire if a power line is contacted.
These settings result in lines being de-energized more rapidly when there is a fault, which is commonly caused by animals, birds, or airborne debris coming into contact with our equipment. When these settings are in place, there is an increased potential for outages. Moreover, customers may experience longer-than-typical outages as our field crews work to patrol the lines before restoring power.
We appreciate your patience during such outages, as we all strive to promote safety and reduce the risk of wildfire.