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SDG&E warns of elevated wildfire risk; urges residents to sign up for alerts, explains PSPS policies
Summary
SDG&E told Escondido City Council the county faces extreme wildfire potential after a dry season. The utility described its public safety power shutoff (PSPS) triggers, outreach to customers with access and functional needs, and investments to harden the system.
San Diego Gas & Electric told the Escondido City Council on Sept. 17 that San Diego County is entering an above-normal to extreme fire potential period and reviewed its public safety power shutoff policies and preparedness programs.
Joe Britton, senior manager of regional public affairs for SDG&E, said much of the county has received about half the normal rainfall this year and that large areas are in extreme or severe drought. He described PSPS — the company’s practice of temporarily turning off power in high-risk conditions — as a last-resort tool intended to prevent utility equipment from igniting wildfires.
"We don't take this decision lightly to turn off power, and it's not a decision we make in a vacuum," Britton told the council. He said decisions are made in SDG&E’s emergency operations center with public-safety partners and are based on weather, active wildfire incidents, firefighter resource availability and the company’s Fire Potential Index.
Preparations and customer support: Britton summarized measures SDG&E has taken to reduce wildfire risk and the impacts of outages, including roughly $6 billion invested since 2007 to harden infrastructure, bury about 60% of the system, sectionalize circuits and install covered conductors. He said SDG&E has added more than 200 weather stations and uses satellite analytics and cameras to identify smoke and monitor conditions.
Access and functional needs: SDG&E said it maintains lists of customers with access and functional needs and conducts one-on-one outreach and door-knock checks when necessary. The utility operates community resource centers after PSPS events to provide charging, water and information. Britton also encouraged Escondido residents to register at alertssandiego.org and to download the "SDG&E Alerts" app for address-based emergency notifications.
Questions from council: Council members asked about coordination with county and city emergency systems, language access and whether SDG&E partners with AlertSanDiego; Britton said SDG&E coordinates with the county and city emergency offices and that the alerts systems are integrated. He confirmed the SDG&E alert app supports multiple languages and that the company deploys bilingual customer service.
Mitigation and support options: Britton said SDG&E can provide transportation, hotel stays or generator and battery solutions for customers with critical medical needs and operates a program to prioritize tenants with medical equipment. He also said SDG&E participates in the Blue Envelope program and offered to follow up with more details.
Ending: Britton said persistent dry conditions point to an extended wildfire season and urged residents to sign up for notifications and to prepare personal disaster plans. "National Preparedness Month should serve as a reminder to integrate preparedness practices into our daily lives," he said.
