May 2024
LIGH
READING
Wildfire season and fire safety mode
W
ildfire season in recent years has become a growing challenge across our region. In January 2024, Washington Governor, Jay Inslee proclaimed the month of May - Wildfire Awareness Month. This focused awareness provides an additional opportunity to discuss and learn safety precautions we can all participate in throughout wildfire season. Across our region, utilities continue to take preventable measures to combat threats through wildfire mitigation plans. These plans include vegetation management and strategic tree pruning and removal to keep lines clear to improve public safety and the security of the grid. Inland Power also closely monitors our service territory in moderate to high-risk wildfire areas. We will place these areas on non-reclose or “fire safety mode” in our system when necessary. What is fire safety mode? Fire safety mode is an alternative way of operating our electrical distribution system where we prioritize system security and public safety higher over normal operations resulting in a higher incidence of service disruptions.
Normally, when a foreign object such as a tree limb makes contact with our power lines, we have devices which detect a short circuit condition, interrupt power momentarily and then attempt to automatically restore power. If the foreign object has cleared out of the way, power remains online with only a brief service disruption. When operating in fire safety mode, this automatic restoral of power functionality is disabled (non-reclose) in areas with elevated wildfire risk. This means that any service disruptions that would have normally been a momentary blink are instead sustained and require a crew to manually inspect and restore. Fire safety mode is presently planned to be activated on June 1, 2024; however, this could be adjusted based on weather conditions. Once activated, fire safety mode will remain in effect throughout the dry season and will be deactivated as burn bans are lifted and cool weather returns. How can I know if I live in an area of elevated wildfire risk? Areas with forested lands and moderate to high amounts of human activity are generally
associated with elevated wildfire risk. These are predominantly focused in the central and northern portions of our service territory and areas that are near the Little Spokane River natural area outside of city limits. What can I do to prepare? If you have a tree on your property that is dead, dying or uprooting that you believe is at risk of falling into overhead power lines, please contact our office to arrange a visit with one of our vegetation management specialists who will evaluate the tree and schedule it for removal if it meets the criteria. Keeping vegetation on your property trimmed up and removing excess fuel sources near buildings such as brush piles and debris can help establish a defensible space boundary around your home to mitigate combustion and assist firefighters with defending your home in the event of wildfire. Consult with local land management authorities for guidance on wildfire risk mitigation. Spokane County residents can visit the Spokane County Conservation District website at spokanecd.org for more information.
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