As the summer continues, days with warm temperatures and high winds become more prevalent. And with them comes concerns for all the things that can cause a spark and become the next wildfire.
Issues with powerlines have sparked some of the most catastrophic fires in recent history, from the 2018 Camp Fire, which burned the community of Paradise, Calif. to the 2023 fire that devastated Lahaina, Hawaii.
Concerns about preventing such fires can cause electric utilities to take a variety of actions, including shutting off power on a concerning power line all together.
“Public safety power shutoff is one tool in the wildfire mitigation toolbox, but probably not the first tool you’re going to reach for. There’s a lot of things you’re going to do before that to mitigate your wildfire risk," said Eugene Water and Electric Board’s Jeannine Parisi.
Chief among those options is preventative measures, like clearing vegetation from under power lines.
Another option that is being widely adopted is automated reclosers, a technology that operated similar to the ground fault circuit interrupter that modern power outlets often use. Such devices cut off electricity when it detects an issue such as grounding.
"We have different setting levels, and we have all of ours on sensitive right now, which means that if anything comes in contact with them, whether it’s a tree, a human, a squirrel, they turn off within a fraction of a second," said Lane Electric Cooperative General Manager Scott Coe.
Electricity on the American grid is delivered at 60Hz, or 60 cycles per second. Coe said his utility’s reclosers are triggered within 2-3Hz, closing in less than a tenth of a second.
Parisi said EWEB also uses automated reclosers, and Coe said the technology has gained in popularity since the Camp Fire.
But, both said, their utilities do not rely solely on reclosers when high winds come through.
Shut-offs remain an option, though their downside can lead utilities away from using them.
Coe cited a variety of reasons to not turn off power, ranging from its effect on emergency alert systems to its impact on households that rely on cooling systems as a way to keep homes a reasonable temperature while keeping smoke out.
He called the coordination between Lane County utilities “very strong,” noting that they meet before and during the wildfire season regularly.
The groups also frequently use weather data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, though some utilities such as EWEB also employ their own meteorologists.
Parisi said utilities try to give at least a day’s notice when a shut-off may happen, so customers can take actions to ensure they stay safe during the outage.
“Even if we might call a [public safety power shutoff], we’ll issue—if we have time, which we normally do—a PSPS warning and say, ‘hey, weather conditions are looking as if we may have to enact a PSPS in the next 24-48 hours,’” she said.
Both Parisi and Coe said those actions should include tasks such as ensuring your car has a full tank, having batteries that are accessible if power is out, stocking refrigerators and freezers with ice to keep food from spoiling, charging emergency contact devices like cell phones and radios, and getting cash since credit card systems may be down.
