Western utilities urge customers to build outage kits, keep informed as part of National Wildfire Awareness month

With the onset of National Wildfire Awareness Month, which started May 1, western utilities are promoting guidance for the upcoming fire season, preparing their electric grids, and emphasizing self-preparation.

“As forecasters have predicted in recent years, this year’s storm season again is expected to bring an above-average number of named storms and wildfires that could impact many customers and communities across the nation,” Scott Aaronson, senior vice president for Security & Preparedness at the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), said. “EEI and our member electric companies already have begun preparing and coordinating with our industry and government partners, and we urge customers to begin their preparations now.”

Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, and Idaho Power are among companies that have invested in and modernized their grids to prepare them for greater safety and reliability as wildfire seasons seem to worsen year after year. To this end, they and other utilities have partnered with federal, state, local, and Tribal agencies, taking a shared approach to an issue that respects no boundaries.

The Oregon Public Utilities Commission recently approved new utility wildfire mitigation plans to address this.

“These plans reflect hard work by utilities to understand wildfire risk and adapt their systems and operations to increase the safety and resiliency of electricity supply,” Megan Decker, PUC Chair, said. “Utility efforts are important, but all Oregonians have a role in preparing for and mitigating wildfires.”

For many, descriptions of preparing for the season almost read like readying for invasion. Portland General Electric has addressed how to create defensible spaces to slow the spread of wildfire, and the state’s Oregon Wildfire Response & Recovery has a website dedicated to tips for residents on how to gather information, make plans, and trim vegetation to provide those spaces.

These utilities urge customers to keep their contact information up to date, create backup plans with medical providers and stay connected with their local alert systems. As to the outage kits, all have urged gathering shelf-stable food, water, flashlights, batteries, medications, and more to prepare for such outages. Businesses have likewise been urged toward such ends to minimize disruption. Such kits are encouraged for all areas and should include battery or hand-crank radios, fans, batteries, car chargers, and more.

Essentially, the industry is asking customers to do what its various electric companies do already: work together to assure survival. Electric companies, EEI noted, frequently work together both in advance of and following extreme weather and natural disasters to pool additional personnel, equipment, and supplies for organized power restoration.