HomeMy WebLinkAboutPW PG&E Enhanced Vegetation Management PPTCommunity Wildfire
Safety Program
City of San Rafael
June 17, 2019
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Following the wildfires in 2017 and 2018, some of the changes included in this presentation are contemplated as additional pr ecautionary measures intended to further reduce future wildfire risk.
Community Wildfire Safety Program
•Further enhancing vegetation
management efforts to increase
focus on vegetation that poses a
higher potential for wildfire risk
•Conducting accelerated safety
inspections of electric infrastructure
in high fire-threat areas
•Disabling automatic reclosing of
circuit breakers and reclosers in high
fire-risk areas during wildfire season
•Proactively turning off electric
power for safety (Public Safety
Power Shutoff) when extreme fire
danger conditions are forecasted
NEW AND ENHANCED
SAFETY MEASURES
•Installing stronger and more
resilient poles and covered
power lines, along with
targeted undergrounding
•Upgrading and replacing
electric equipment and
infrastructure to further
reduce wildfire risks
•Working with communities to
develop new resilience zones
to provide electricity to central
community resources during a
Public Safety Power Shutoff
event
SYSTEM HARDENING
AND RESILIENCY
•Coordinating prevention and
response efforts by
monitoring wildfire risks in
real time from our Wildfire
Safety Operations Center
•Expanding our network of
PG&E weather stations to
enhance weather forecasting
and modeling
•Supporting the installation of
new high-definition cameras
in high fire-threat areas
REAL-TIME MONITORING
AND INTELLIGENCE
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Following the wildfires in 2017 and 2018, some of the changes included in this presentation are contemplated as additional pr ecautionary measures intended to further reduce future wildfire risk.
CPUP High Fire-Threat District Map -San Rafael
San Rafael
TIER 2 –Elevated
TIER 3 –Extreme
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Following the wildfires in 2017 and 2018, some of the changes included in this presentation are contemplated as additional pr ecautionary measures intended to further reduce future wildfire risk.
PG&E’s service area includes more
than 100 million trees with
the potential to grow or fall into our
overhead power lines
Inspects
approximately
100,000 miles of
overhead power lines
Prunes or removes
approximately 1.4
million trees annually
Addresses dead and
dying trees in areas
affected by drought
and bark beetles
Our Vegetation Management Program
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Following the wildfires in 2017 and 2018, some of the changes included in this presentation are contemplated as additional pr ecautionary measures intended to further reduce future wildfire risk.
Enhanced Vegetation Management
For illustrative purposes only
We are expanding and enhancing our
Vegetation Management program to further
reduce wildfire risk
•Our enhanced vegetation management work
includes the following:
Meeting and exceeding state standards
for minimum clearances around the
power line
Addressing overhanging limbs and
branches directly above and around the
lines
Removing dead and dying trees as well as
specific tree species that have more
frequently fallen into PG&E lines and
caused an ignition
•We are working to complete this important
safety work in high fire-threat areas over
the next several years
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Following the wildfires in 2017 and 2018, some of the changes included in this presentation are contemplated as additional pr ecautionary measures intended to further reduce future wildfire risk.
Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS)
We monitor conditions across our system and evaluate whether to proactively turn
off electric lines for safety when extreme fire danger conditions are forecasted.
While no single factor will drive a Public Safety Power Shutoff, some factors include:
A RED FLAG WARNING
declared by the National
Weather Service
LOW HUMIDITY LEVELS
generally 20% and below
FORECASTED SUSTAINED WINDS GENERALLY ABOVE 25 MPH AND
WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, depending on
location and site-specific conditions such as temperature, terrain and
local climate
CONDITION OF DRY FUEL
on the ground and live
vegetation (moisture content)
ON-THE-GROUND, REAL-TIME
OBSERVATIONS
from PG&E’s Wildfire Safety
Operations Center and field
observations from PG&E crews
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Following the wildfires in 2017 and 2018, some of the changes included in this presentation are contemplated as additional pr ecautionary measures intended to further reduce future wildfire risk.
Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS)
Source: California Public Utilities Commission
•Beginning with the 2019 wildfire season, we are
expanding our Public Safety Power Shutoff
program to include all electric lines that pass
through high fire-threat areas –both distribution
and transmission.
•The most likely electric lines to be considered for
shutting off for safety will be those that pass
through areas that have been designated by the
CPUC as at elevated (Tier 2) or extreme (Tier 3)
risk for wildfire.
•Because the energy system relies on power lines
working together to provide electricity, any of
PG&E’s more than 5 million electric customers
could have their power shut off.
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Following the wildfires in 2017 and 2018, some of the changes included in this presentation are contemplated as additional pr ecautionary measures intended to further reduce future wildfire risk.
PSPS Event Notifications
Timing of Notifications (when possible)
~48 HOURS before electricity is turned off
Extreme weather threats can change quickly. Our goal, dependent on weather, is
to provide customers with advance notice prior to turning off power.We will
also provide updates until power is restored.
~24 HOURS before electricity is turned off
JUST BEFORE electricity is turned off
DURING THE PUBLIC SAFETY OUTAGE
ONCE POWER HAS BEEN RESTORED
City/County/Agency
Notifications
We will make every attempt to provide notice
in advance of notifying customers through:
•Phone calls/emails to primary contacts
•Automated notifications to send alerts
through multiple channels
•Provide customer alerts to share via
channels, such as city or county website,
Nixle, Nextdoor and Reverse 911
Customer Notifications
We will attempt to reach customers through
calls, texts and emails. We will also use social
media and keep local news and radio outlets
informed and updated.
!
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Following the wildfires in 2017 and 2018, some of the changes included in this presentation are contemplated as additional pr ecautionary measures intended to further reduce future wildfire risk.
Working to Restore Power
WEATHER
ALL CLEAR
PATROL &
INSPECT
ISOLATE &
REPAIR DAMAGE
RESTORE
POWER
NOTIFY
CUSTOMERS
After the extreme
weather has passed
and it’s safe to do
so, our crews begin
patrols and
inspections.
Crews visually inspect
our electric system to
look for potential
weather-related
damage to the lines,
poles and towers. This
is done by vehicle, foot
and air during daylight
hours.
Where damage is
found, crews work to
isolate the area so
other parts of the
system can be
restored. Crews work
safely and as quickly
as possible to make
repairs.
Once it is safe to
energize, a call is made
to the PG&E Control
Center to complete the
energization process.
Power is then restored
to customers.
Customers are
notified that power
has been restored.
We will only restore power when we are certain it is safe to do so. We expect to be
able to visually inspect the system for damage and restore power to most of our
customers within 24 to 48 hours after extreme weather has passed.
Because extreme weather can last several hours or days, for planning purposes, we suggest
customers prepare for outages that could last longer than 48 hours.
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Following the wildfires in 2017 and 2018, some of the changes included in this presentation are contemplated as additional pr ecautionary measures intended to further reduce future wildfire risk.
Working With Our Customers to Prepare
Reaching out to approximately 5 million
customers and asking them to update their
contact info at pge.com/mywildfirealerts
Holding answer centers and open houses
(as needed) in advance of and during
wildfire season
Mailing postcards to customers that do not
have contact information on file
Providing tenant education kits to Master
Meter customers
Conducting additional outreach to
customers in high fire-threat areas through
direct mail, preparedness checklist and
email campaign
Placing calls and doing additional outreach
to Medical Baseline and Medical Baseline-
eligible customers in high fire-threat areas
Launching broad public safety advertising
campaign
Continuing to share information through
pge.com/wildfiresafety
Partnering with community leaders, first
responders and public safety authorities
around PSPS preparedness and coordination
Engaging with organizations for our
customers who have specific needs to
explore ways we can partner
ADS
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Following the wildfires in 2017 and 2018, some of the changes included in this presentation are contemplated as additional pr ecautionary measures intended to further reduce future wildfire risk.
Learn More
For questions regarding PG&E’s
Community Wildfire Safety Program,
please direct customers with
questions to:
•Call us at 1-866-743-6589
•Email us at wildfiresafety@pge.com
•Visit pge.com/wildfiresafety
As a critical partner in emergency response, we want to notify you about a potential Public
Safety Power Shutoff in your area, when and where possible. Please provide the best phone
numbers and email addresses for your organization.