Onset of summer yields daily PG&E aerial patrols for wildfires

With the onset of summer, aerial patrols from the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) began making daily passes for fire detection across its service area.

What is different this year is the addition of two new patrol routes, which will aid the efforts of the U.S. Forest Service, CAL FIRE, and local fire agencies. The utility’s routes now include bits of the Northern Sierra, Central Sierra, Southern Sierra, all of Mendocino County, a route from Redding to Humboldt to Lake County, from Vacaville to Solvang and from Redding to Hoopa to McArthur. In all, seven fixed-wing aircraft will fly from late afternoon until dusk, from June 1 through Oct. 31, barring condition changes.

“Wildfires in California have grown in number, size, and intensity in recent years,” Pat Hogan, PG&E senior vice president of Electric Operations, said. “We all must adapt to this new normal and do even more to prevent and prepare for fires. That’s why we’ve increased the area and number of customers that our daily aerial patrols will cover to help keep communities safe.”

The effects of these patrols have been felt in previous years. In 2017 alone, PG&E patrols reportedly identified around 250 fires and was the first reporter on 20 of them. This has been the norm since 2014 when PG&E began operating these flights, and the California governor issued a drought emergency declaration.