Outage Map
Learn more about how to prepare for wildfires, what to do when they occur, plus what CEC is doing to curb wildfire risks and protect the electric grid.
Preparing Your Home for Wildfire Season
One of the most basic tips for wildfire preparation is creating defensible space around your home—thinning or removing trees and brush and picking up pine needles, grasses, and finer fuels.
Homeowners should focus on 3 home ignition zones:
- Immediate Zone (the home itself and 0 to 5 ft)
- Intermediate Zone (5 to 30 feet)
- Extended Zone (30 to 100 feet)
While full-scale tree (brush) thinning or removal might not need to be done annually, pine needles, grasses, and finer fuels must be addressed at least once if not twice a year.
Ready, Set, Go – Wildfire Evacuation Guide
When an emergency occurs, do you know when to stay and when to go? Oregon has a program called Ready, Set, Go.
Level 1: Ready
When the Ready (Level 1) notice is issued, there is a fire in your local area and you should be ready for potential evacuation.
- Residents are encouraged to have a plan to evacuate.
- Prepare for any family with special needs, mobile property, and pets or livestock.
- Monitor local news and social media for information.
- Emergency personnel may contact you via the emergency notification system.
Level 2: Set
When the Set (Level 2) notice is issued, residents should get set to leave at a moment’s notice.
- This level means there is a significant danger in the area.
- Load your 5Ps (people, pets, pills, photos, important papers) and 72-hour kit into the car and be ready to leave.
- Relocate to a specified shelter (if activated) or with family/friends outside the affected area.
- If you have time when leaving your home, write EVACUATED on a pillowcase and hang it near the end of the driveway to let emergency personnel know the property is vacated.
- This may be the only notice.
Level 3: Go Now
And finally, if the Go (Level 3) notice is issued, all citizens should evacuate immediately.
- Leave now! The danger to your area is current.
- Do not delay leaving. There is no time to grab emergency kits or make efforts to protect property.
- Obey orders of law enforcement and fire department officials.
- Drive calmly and with special attention to emergency vehicles.
- Do not block access to roadways for emergency personnel or other evacuees.
- This will be the last notice you receive.
Download the full Evacuation Guide (PDF) with tips.
CEC’s Wildfire Preparedness & Mitigation Efforts
Central Electric Cooperative works diligently with federal land agencies to curb wildfire risks. With safety as our highest priority, we’re taking constructive steps toward mitigating the threat of wildfires in the communities where we live and serve.
Wildfire Mitigation Plan
CEC revised and formalized its Wildfire Mitigation Plan in 2020. The plan extensively details the co-op’s efforts to:
- Adapt the electric system to evolving fire-related conditions
- Implement new technologies to detect issues before they arise
- Enhance the operational practices to mitigate the potential for ignitions
View the complete Wildfire Mitigation Plan (PDF).
Vegetation Management
Vegetation Management not only helps to enhance the resiliency of the electric grid but also helps reduce the threat of wildfires.
One such project occurred along a 13-mile stretch of overhead lines in the Camp Sherman area. It took the cooperative over a year and a half to get approval to replace aging poles and remove vegetation. Learn more about this project and CEC’s approach to vegetation management in the video below.
Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS)
One way to reduce the threat of wildfires during elevated weather events is to proactively shut off power temporarily through Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events. Weather conditions calling for a possible PSPS would include:
- High winds (including Red Flag warnings by the National Weather Service)
- Low humidity
- Dry vegetation that could serve as fuel
Central Electric Cooperative has protocols to decide if or when to execute a PSPS. Such events are temporary and are meant to keep you and the community safe. To learn more about PSPS events, protocols, and how to prepare, visit our Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) page.
Distribution Fault Anticipation
DFA is a groundbreaking technology that helps Central Electric Cooperative prevent its equipment from contributing to the ignition of wildfires. CEC is the first utility in Oregon to adopt the DFA technology and we’re implementing it in high fire-risk areas of our service territory.
To learn more about this project, please see DFA Heads to Central Oregon (PDF) and Central Oregon Daly News story featuring CEC and the technology – New technology detects problems in electric grid before outages occur.