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SCE details covered conductor, sectionalizing switches and PSPS thresholds at Fillmore meeting
Summary
Southern California Edison told Fillmore residents it has completed roughly 112 miles of covered conductor in the area, is installing remote sectionalizing switches and uses a Fire Potential Index to guide PSPS decisions (FPI 1–17; PSPS commonly begins near 12–13). SCE also outlined vegetation inspections and notification timing.
Southern California Edison representatives laid out the utility’s strategy to reduce wildfire risk and limit public-safety power shutoffs (PSPS) at a Fillmore community meeting hosted by Ventura County Supervisor Kelly Long on April 2, 2026.
Terry, SCE’s grid hardening presenter, said SCE has "completed about a 112 miles in this area of covered conductor with another 26 miles that are pending," and described how insulated (covered) conductor can prevent sparks when foreign objects contact lines. He added that targeted undergrounding is used where winds are so extreme that covered conductor alone will not prevent line exposure.
The company highlighted remote-controlled sectionalizing switches that allow crews to deenergize only portions of long circuits rather than shutting power at a substation and affecting all customers on the line. "What these switches allow us to do is look at only those portions of the circuitry that are being impacted by heavy winds and fire," Terry said, adding that the goal is to "minimize as much of the impact to customers as we can."
SCE also explained how it uses a Fire Potential Index (FPI) — a score from 1 to 17 that combines fuels and weather metrics — as part of PSPS planning. "We typically start a PSPS around values of 12 to 13," Terry said, while noting thresholds may be lowered for circuit‑specific conditions or when agency resources are redeployed to active fires elsewhere in the state.
On weather data, SCE’s Jude Schneider said the utility runs proprietary models at two‑kilometer resolution and also uses nearly 1,900 pole‑top weather stations and field observers to track conditions in real time. "We forecast our events at 3 days out... but when it comes to actual PSPS decisions, we're looking at real weather," he said.
Vegetation management remains central to the mitigation mix: SCE said it inspects an inventory of about 1.6 million trees annually and inspects trees in higher‑risk areas more frequently (SCE gave a figure of roughly 750,000 trees in higher‑fire areas). In high‑fire zones SCE seeks a minimum clearance of about four feet from conductors; in non‑high‑fire areas it described a smaller minimum clearance.
SCE described the sequence for PSPS communications: early tracking about a week out, customer and agency notifications beginning about three days before a likely event, and an attempt to provide a 1–4 hour notice before deenergization. The company also described restoration patrol requirements — including daylight and helicopter constraints — before power is reenergized.
Why it matters: SCE said these technical fixes and procedures aim to reduce the scope and duration of PSPS events while lowering wildfire ignition risk. Local officials asked the company for circuit‑level details (see separate article on local Q&A), and SCE said it will follow up with more maps and switch‑location data for Fillmore.
