Stay Vigilant During Wildfire Season

With the dog days of summer comes the height of wildfire season, a time to stay vigilant in helping Central Electric Cooperative members and their communities stay safe.

Despite Central Oregon’s above-average water year, which helped boost the mountain snowpack, a quick transition to dry and warm temperatures in June dried out vegetation, creating additional fuel and risk. In early July, Ochoco and Deschutes National Forests moved to a high fire danger rating.

Throughout the year, CEC makes every effort to reduce the risk of its electric system contributing to a wildfire’s ignition.

Our wildfire mitigation plan guides and prescribes our proactive and comprehensive approach, calling for timely routine inspections of our rights-of-way to identify hazards. We conduct vegetation maintenance as needed throughout a 5,300-square-mile service territory.

CEC completed two major projects this spring as part of this ongoing effort. First,we deployed tree-trimming contractors to eliminate 150 juniper trees along a 3-mile stretch on Highway 126. If left unattended, these trees would eventually threaten to interfere with power lines. In Sisters, crews removed a mix of 300 junipers and pines along 10 miles in rights-of-way west of town.

Our wildfire mitigation plan also includes Public Safety Power Shutoffs as a potential tool. The PSPS strategy has received greater attention the past few years in California and the Pacific Northwest as more electric utilities adopt and recognize it as a viable and effective tool.

The decision to turn off the electricity is a last-resort safety precaution. Influencing the call to deenergize the lines are the National Weather Service’s red flag warnings, which include a combination of critical factors such as sustained high winds, low humidity and high heat.

Also informing our decision are potential public safety concerns and boots-on-the-ground live reports from CEC personnel positioned throughout high-risk areas.

Our ongoing education efforts with members, public safety communications and outreach with community leaders continue. Besides providing timeline reminders to all members through Ruralite, CEC mailed a postcard in early July to members in the Sisters area—including Tollgate, Black Butte Ranch and Camp Sherman—telling them what they could expect and should do if CEC were to execute a PSPS.

Should conditions warrant a PSPS, we will inform affected members through phone calls, emails, texts, our website and social media. Please ensure your contact information is up to date to receive outage alerts and updates through SmartHub, or call 541-548-2144 to speak with a customer representative.

Protecting against wildfires must be a collective effort. To learn more about what CEC is doing and what you can do, visit www.cec.coop/safety-education/wildfire-preparedness.

Brad Wilson
President and CEO