APS outlines wildfire tools including public-safety power shutoffs as Walker-area residents urge undergrounding

Arizona Public Service on March 5 told the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors it is deploying vegetation management, grid hardening, cameras and a public-safety power shutoff (PSPS) program to reduce wildfire risk — while residents from Walker and other rural communities urged the utility and county leaders to bury new lines rather than install overhead lines along primary evacuation routes.

The presentation by APS Northern Division Director Frank Sanderson and wildfire-mitigation staff outlined multiple mitigation steps, including clearing defensible space around poles, a hazard-tree program coordinated with federal partners, deployment of non‑expulsion fuses that reduce sparking, annual patrols using helicopters and drones, and advanced modeling and weather‑camera networks to detect fires earlier.

"We are committed to safety — that's more important than reliability," Sanderson said during the presentation. He described a PSPS procedure that uses modeling to forecast risk 5 to 7 days ahead, then notifies emergency managers and affected…