PG&E begins daily aerial fire patrols across its service area

Daily aerial fire patrols were started by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) this week across hundreds of miles of its service area to aid state and local fire agencies with fire detection and response during the summer.

“PG&E is committed to continue this very successful aerial fire-patrol program as we partner with federal, state and local agencies to mitigate the increased threat of wildfire as we’re seeing record tree mortality caused by one of the most severe droughts in state history,” Barry Anderson, vice president of electric distribution for PG&E, said. “We encourage all of our customers to be prepared and have a plan in case of emergencies.”

The patrols will run through October over fire prone areas in PG&E’s service area, including in Mendocino County, along the Redwood and Central Coasts, and in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Northern and Central California. Patrols fly every day of the week from mid-afternoon until dusk, which is when wildfires are most likely to ignite as a result of hot, dry weather.

PG&E also conducts special vegetation-management ground patrols on days when the potential for wildfires is heightened and when red-flag warnings are issued.

“The long-term impacts of the drought, combined with significant bark-beetle damage, continue to be a major concern as we once again enter the peak of California’s wildfire season,” Chief Dave Teter, CAL FIRE deputy director of fire protection, said. “CAL FIRE has a robust aerial firefighting program supporting our ground forces in their efforts to keep 95 percent of fires at 10 acres or less. PG&E’s proactive patrols serve to enhance our efforts. Reporting wildfires is everybody’s responsibility and no one should assume somebody else has. We appreciate the survey work PG&E does from the air, looking for potential fire starts, especially in those areas most impacted by the unprecedented tree mortality.”

A total of 146 fires were spotted by PG&E planes in 2015, the second year of the patrols, and in 25 instances, PG&E was the first to report the fires to CAL FIRE or the U.S. Forest Service.

PG&E also conducts enhanced ground patrols on specific electrical circuits to inspect and remove dead or dying trees that could fall into lines and cause a fire.