SALT LAKE CITY — With Utah already seeing extremely dry conditions and forecasts calling for a hotter-than-normal summer, Rocky Mountain Power stated it is preparing for what could be an elevated wildfire season across the Intermountain West.
Long-term wildfire mitigation efforts
To reduce the risk of power lines sparking wildfires, Rocky Mountain Power stated it has spent years expanding its wildfire mitigation efforts. That includes new technology, additional staffing and more aggressive operational decisions.
“We've been doing this kind of wildfire mitigation risk reduction for at least six years or more,” Jona Whitesides, a spokesperson for the company, said. “It's just been in the last couple of years where we brought in-house meteorologists, we brought in in-house emergency managers to help us not just only with our operational stuff, but our planning and our preparation.”
Real-time weather monitoring technology
One of the biggest changes is the use of more than 300 weather stations across the company’s service area, collecting real-time data around the clock.
“The weather stations themselves collect data 24/7,” Whitesides said. “Our meteorologists, depending on if there's an event that's coming up, they will be monitoring that as well as 24/7. The good thing about having an in-house meteorologist program is that we collaborate with the National Weather Service, but we're also able to hone in specifically on the areas that we're looking at in (relation) to our infrastructure.”
That data helps crews monitor wind, humidity and vegetation conditions, which are key factors that can turn power lines into ignition sources during dry and windy weather.
Strategic electricity shutoff procedures
As part of its strategy, Rocky Mountain Power stated it may temporarily shut off electricity in high-risk areas, either during active wildfires or when conditions are ripe for one to start.
Whitesides said those decisions are not taken lightly.
“Absolutely. When we turn off the power, our number one goal is to get it back on as quickly as possible,” he said. “Now, when we're talking wildfire season, when we turn it off, we actually do physically go out there and inspect the lines because we don't want to take and put customers through all of that and turn them on and then start a fire.”
That process can take time, potentially leading to longer outages than customers are used to.
However, the company stated inspections are critical to prevent additional ignitions.
Preventative public safety measures
In some cases, power may also be shut off in advance through what’s known as a public safety power shutoff.
It’s preventative measure designed to reduce wildfire risk before flames ever start.
“We don't want to see any fire started. We don't want to see any communities put in danger,” Whitesides said.
Customer preparation and resources
Rocky Mountain Power stated customers can prepare now by updating their contact information for outage alerts, assembling emergency kits and considering backup power options.
More information is available on the company’s website, as well as state emergency preparedness resources.
Related: Crystal Lane Fire in Iron County causes evacuations, now lifted
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