PNM outlines wildfire mitigation plan and public safety power shutoff process; urges signups and county coordination
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Summary
PNM officials briefed the Board on the utility’s wildfire mitigation measures and its Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) process, describing vegetation management, grid hardening, public notification steps and the promise of targeted outreach to medically‑vulnerable customers and county emergency managers.
A representative from Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) outlined the utility’s wildfire mitigation plan and the mechanics of Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) at the May 13 County Commission meeting, describing weather triggers, segmentation strategies and customer outreach tools.
PNM senior manager Carlos Lucero told the Board PSPS are a last‑resort tool used during extreme weather to de‑energize parts of the grid that present an elevated ignition risk. He listed wildfire mitigation activities the company said it conducts year‑round: vegetation management, situational awareness (helicopters, drones and monitoring), grid hardening, and coordination with local emergency responders.
The Nut Graf: Lucero described a warning and response timeline PNM uses: a 4–7 day meteorological watch and 2–3 day heightened monitoring, with targeted notifications to customers and key stakeholders 1–3 days before a likely PSPS event; on the day of an activation PNM said it will deliver robocalls, texts and outage alerts to flagged customers and to people who have signed up for outage notifications.
Lucero said PNM has begun targeted outreach in high‑fire areas and is building a registry (LifeWatch) for medically‑vulnerable customers who rely on electricity for life‑support equipment; he asked that county emergency managers, public health officials and the sheriff’s office coordinate on notification and vulnerability outreach. PNM cited a March PSPS that affected parts of Las Vegas, N.M., as an operational example and said restoration time depends on the size of the shutdown and patrols needed to ensure lines and components are safe to re‑energize.
Board discussion and requests: Commissioners asked about alerting systems that reach non‑customers and visitors (reverse 911 and geofenced Amber‑style alerts), options for targeted assistance such as battery systems for medically‑vulnerable residents, and deeper coordination with county emergency management and 911 dispatch. Lucero said PNM will continue to refine notifications, work with county staff on registries for LifeWatch, train employee ambassadors for outreach and coordinate flight and drone operations with county permitting.
Ending: Commissioners asked PNM and county emergency management to meet with neighborhood representatives and area stakeholders to ensure medically‑fragile people are included in registries and that short‑term mitigations (temporary enforcement, patrols, and hydrant water pressure for contractors) are put in place where construction or grading raises dust and safety concerns.
