Pacific Gas and Electric launches Community Wildfire Safety Program ahead of 2018 wildfire season
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) recently announced the launch of Community Wildfire Safety Program, which aims to reduce the risk of wildfires ahead of the 2018 following season in Northern and Central California.
The program focuses on three primary areas: strengthening wildfire prevention and emergency response efforts; implementing new and enhanced safety measures in coordination with first responders and customers; and hardening the electric system over the long term.
“Our system and our mindset need to be laser-focused on working together to help prevent devastating wildfires like the ones in the North Bay in October and in Southern California in December from happening again, and in responding quickly and effectively if they do,” Pat Hogan, PG&E’s senior vice president of Electric Operations, said. “Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, which is what the Community Wildfire Safety Program is all about.”
It includes measures such as creating a Wildfire Safety Operations Center to monitor wildfire risks and coordinate prevention and response efforts with first responders, expanding the company’s, vegetation management practices based on the High Fire-Threat District map adopted in January, investing in stronger power lines, spacing lines further apart, replacing wood poles with non-wood poles and partnering with communities to develop and integrate microgrids.
PG&E is also collaborating with first responders, civic and community leaders and customers on the program.
“All of us need to work together to make decisions and put in place solutions based on the dynamics of climate change and severe weather events,” Hogan said. “Our communities are depending on us to take strong and preventive actions that will protect our state’s energy future and help reduce the risk of wildfire in California.”
