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APS outlines expanded wildfire mitigation tools for Prescott Valley
Summary
APS presented new and expanding wildfire risk-reduction measures including defensible-space clearing, pole-mesh wrapping, drone infrared patrols, AI smoke-detection cameras and a public safety power shutoff protocol; councilors asked about transformers and commended the utility.
Frank Sanderson, Northern Arizona division director for Arizona Public Service, told the Prescott Valley Town Council on March 20 that APS has expanded a suite of wildfire mitigation strategies in Northern Arizona, including vegetation management around poles, heat-dissipating mesh on wooden poles, replacement of spark-emitting fuses, drone infrared patrols, expanded weather stations and deployment of AI-enabled cameras to detect smoke and heat.
Sanderson said APS clears about 10 feet of vegetation around devices that can emit sparks, works with the U.S. Forest Service and other land managers to remove dead or dying trees near lines, and is increasing infrastructure investment in areas designated as high fire risk. "We clear 10 feet of vegetation around each structure that has any type of device that is spark emitting," Sanderson said. He described a heat-dissipating mesh wrapped around wooden poles that reduces heat transfer during a fire and cited replacement of traditional fuses with non-sparking devices in high-risk areas.
The presentation also described nonreclose relay settings that prevent automatic reclosing of lines during high-risk weather and an operational plan for Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) as a "tool of last resort." Sanderson said APS now uses advanced fire-modeling software and is deploying weather stations and two camera types—conventional pan/zoom cameras and 360-degree AI cameras that detect smoke and heat and notify APS and local emergency management. He cited a recent instance south of Mayer where cameras detected smoke and sent alerts that led to coordination with county emergency management.
Council members asked about aging transformers and fire risk. Sanderson said rust alone is not a failure indicator; APS evaluates sealing, oil leaks, load and fusing when deciding replacement. "If it's leaking oil, we'll change it out. Because it has rust on it, it doesn't necessarily mean that it needs to be changed out," he said.
On PSPS operations, Sanderson described a sequence of 5–7 day forecasts, advance notice to county and municipal leaders, repeated daily assessments leading up to the event, and a final communication to affected customers one hour before a planned shutoff. He also said APS asks medically monitored customers to register so restorations can consider vulnerable residents.
Council members and the mayor commended APS for the steps described and for local coordination. No formal action or vote was taken during the presentation.
The council received the briefing and moved to other agenda items.
