Latest news with #PublicSafetyPowerShutoff
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Black Hills Energy developing emergency shutoff program
(SOUTHERN COLORADO) — Black Hills Energy (BHE) is developing a program to allow the utility to shut off power in high-wildfire risk areas during 'extreme conditions.' According to BHE, the utility is preparing to launch the 'Public Safety Power Shutoff' (PSPS) program by mid-summer 2025. BHE said the PSPS program involves 'selectively and proactively' shutting off power to high-risk fire areas during extreme weather conditions until those conditions improve, with the goal of preventing electric facilities from becoming a source of wildfire ignition. 'At Black Hills Energy, the safety of our customers, employees and communities is our highest priority,' said Campbell Hawkins, vice president of Colorado utilities. 'We believe that a Public Safety Power Shutoff program is a necessary and critical tool for wildfire prevention and mitigation, particularly for utilities with high fire risk areas.' BHE said if a power line is proactively de-energized during a shutoff, it will not be turned back on until conditions improve, and until crews have inspected power lines. This process may result in outages lasting a few hours or a few days. 'Peer utilities are currently implementing and executing similar programs,' Hawkins said. 'To determine if a Public Safety Power Shutoff is necessary, Black Hills Energy will leverage industry criteria that include a combination of wind gust speeds and low relative humidity.' According to Hawkins, BHE does not intend to trigger a shutoff based only on a Red Flag Warning being issued by the National Weather Service; however Red Flag Warnings do trigger other operational responses already in place, which are outlined in the company's Wildfire Mitigation Plan. BHE said it would communicate with customers before any shutoff occurs, and said the shutoff would only be used as a last resort. During and after a PSPS event, BHE said public notifications would occur through phone calls, emails, text messages, social media, media outlets and BHE's website. BHE reminds the community to have a backup plan in place for medicine that needs to be refrigerated or medical equipment that is powered by electricity. This could mean finding a place you can go during an outage or having a backup generator. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Potential power outages in the Black Hills and what they could mean to the community
Rapid City, S.D. (KELO) — Black Hills Energy is planning to roll out a Public Safety Power Shutoff program, which could lead to utilities and power outages in the Black Hills. Machinery fire at Sioux Falls Arrowhead Parkway project The goal of Black Hills Energy's Public Safety Power Shutoff program is to avoid causing or spreading a wildfire. 'What we would do is essentially be watching out weather reports, look at our data of our real-time mapping, then we'd make a decision on if there is an extreme situation. We would actually power down portions of our system until the weather conditions warranted a safe return,' Black Hills Energy Vice President of Utilities Wes Ashton said. While it may sound like a simple solution, Pennington County's Emergency Manager questions whether it's necessary. Their director says that in the last decade, just 1.3% of the county's fires were started directly by utilities. 'How many additional problems are we going to create in our communities by shutting off the power? And we have to balance that against the probabilities and the potential consequences of wildland urban interface fires that may be caused by utilities,' Pennington County Emergency Management Director Dustin Willett said. Black Hills Energy says the program is a precaution and doesn't guarantee there will be outages. 'The situation would accrue under our historical model, sometimes never in a year. Some years it could happen one or two times and the most we've ever seen under our historical modeling was an event happening three times a year,' Ashton said. Before any outages, Willett wants more time to educate those potentially affected, including Black Hills businesses. 'You're not able to operate points of sale, no gas being pumped. So your businesses, your restaurants, aren't able to cook or prepare food. Your hotels don't have air conditioning in their rooms or power for their guests. So the economic impact may be devastating for some communities depending on when and where these shutdowns occur,' Willett said. People who receive their services from the Co-Ops in the area will not be affected by these potential outages. Pennington County Emergency Management is currently working on educational pieces to better prepare those who could be affected if power outages happen for long periods of time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hamilton Spectator
13-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
RDOS board members tear into Fortis officials over plan to shut down power under extreme weather conditions
A proposal by FortisBC that could see power shut off to tens of thousands of residents across the South Okanagan and Similkameen during extreme weather emergencies was met with sharp criticism from members of the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen board, Thursday. The utility's representatives — Hayley Newmarch, Manager of Community and Indigenous Relations; Rob Maschek, Project Manager; and T.M. Sandulak, Emergency Management Manager — presented details about FortisBC's Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) program. The program would allow Fortis to proactively shut down portions of the electrical grid when wildfire risks reach critical levels. The intent is to prevent wildfires ignited by electrical infrastructure. However, RDOS directors said the plan could do more harm than good. PEOPLE COULD DIE, COYNE WARNS Princeton Mayor Spencer Coyne responded angrily, warning that lives could be at risk if power is shut off during the frequent extreme heat events in the region. 'There's a lot of emotion in our Valley right now,' he said. 'There are 10,000-plus people that are thinking that all of August, we're going to be without power, because we're under an extreme heat (warning) most of August.' Shutting off the power would cut access to water provided by treatment plants that need electricity to run and a power outage could eliminate medical services or access to gas stations and refrigerators and freezers would not work, said Coyne. 'We're going to lose our food,' he said. 'We won't have a restaurant to go to. We won't have a grocery store to go to. Has any of this been taken into consideration? 'Our industries are going to shut down and we're going to be without jobs at this time too. Like, has any of this been considered, because none of us have been talked to at this level. We're talking about having to evacuate hundreds, if not thousands of people, because you guys are looking at having to turn off the power because it's hot out.' Coyne acknowledged Fortis' effort to reduce liability but asked, 'Who will pay for the losses in our communities?' Maschek emphasized the PSPS would be used only as a last resort. Coyne remained unconvinced. He understands Fortis is attempting to minimize its risk and not get sued, but he wondered 'who is going to pay for the losses in our communities.' Mashek reiterated Fortis would only move forward with a PSPS event as a last resort. This didn't appease Coyne. 'Sorry, that's not acceptable,' he said. 'When it's 40-plus degrees out, people are going to start dying because they don't have air conditioning. I get where you guys are coming from, I really do, but you have to get where we're coming from. 'We have vulnerable individuals who are going to die because they don't have air conditioning.' OTHER DIRECTORS JOIN IN Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes wondered why Fortis is moving ahead with this power shutdown initiative now as wildfires have been around forever in this region. The increase in frequency and scope of wildfires has increased dramatically across the Fortis coverage area in the 20 years he's worked for Fortis, said Mashek. 'I've been evacuated myself five times,' he said. Director Adrienne Fedrigo said Fortis has come into communities like Naramata, which she represents on the RDOS board, and 'decimated the trees' to build more power lines. 'It's awful that those trees have been decimated ... we have large milling companies who would love to log under your electrical lines way out in a remote area,' she said. The threat to thousands of residents that they might have their power turned off with only a day or two of notice is scary to many people she's talked to, said Fedrigo. 'You're just adding and compounding to that stress,' she said. 'I'm not sure where to go with this, but I think it has to be thought out a little bit more. We're looking at life over profit. I'm not sure if that's fair to say, but ... that's how it feels.' Sandulak said the PSPS concept was inspired by California wildfires a decade ago. Since then, many utilities across North America, including in Washington State and Alberta, have adopted similar measures. 'Those public power shutoff programs have slowly been moving north and east across North America,' he said, adding numerous power providers in Washington State have initiated power shutdown programs during extreme weather events. 'It is the very, very last resort,' he said. LACK Of CONSULTATION Director Tim Roberts was angry that Fortis management didn't discuss this serious issue with community leaders, before issuing a recent press release about the PSPS program. 'This was a discussion that definitely needed to happen before it went to the public,' he said. 'Trust me, you had better be prepared for your meeting in Keremeos. You should see social media. It's buzzing.' Coyne blasted Fortis managers again for the way they do business in many rural communities. 'You guys have no problems going to our parks and cutting down our trees in the parks and mutilating them there,' he said. 'But because they're on the side of the road or near somebody's fancy house on a lake, you're just going to leave them. This is the problem. The solution here is not equal to what you're proposing. 'You go by my farm and you devastate pretty much every single, living thing, but then I drive by another area and the power lines are literally embedded in the trees. Why is that allowed.' Coyne stated the residents that would be affected by a power shutdown 'are on the wrong end of this' and he urged Fortis to reconsider its PSPS program. 'We took a look at our system and determined that the risk of us (Fortis) potentially being involved in starting a fire that could result in human loss is overwhelming,' said Mashek. Coyne urged Fortis to reconsider the PSPS plan, warning that residents are 'on the wrong end of this.' FORTIS EMPHASIZES FIRE RISK AND LAST RESORT NATURE Director Matt Taylor said his biggest concern is the amount of people who would eventually have to be evacuated due to a power shutdown 'would be massive. This is a really big deal that you're potentially triggering. I'm talking the number of people and the number of homes that would eventually have to evacuate.' Rural Princeton Director Bob Coyne, Spencer's father, criticized Fortis' public communications. Coyne Sr. said the recent press release 'put a whole lot of panic into a whole lot of people without a really good explanation about what was going on' in his district. Many residents and business owners have told him they don't have the money to buy a backup generator, he said. 'The way it came out is this is going to happen when it gets hot and dry,' he said. 'I think you've done a terrible job of putting it out to the public. I think it's kind of a half-baked idea that you're still working or they're not sharing all of the information with the public. It's one of the two.' He believes the program's primary motivation is avoiding liability. 'That's what this is really about,' he said. FORTIS RESPONDS TO CONCERNS Maschek acknowledged the seriousness of the issue. 'We understand the consequences and don't take them lightly,' he said. 'There's a risk assessment process involved. If shutting off power would create a bigger public hazard, we wouldn't do it.' Coyne Jr. remained angry with that response, saying having the fate of thousands of residents determined by a board of directors in a multi-million corporation isn't satisfactory. Municipal leaders and First Nation Bands are 'not part of that conversation' and should be, he said. Fortis owns and operates more than 7,000 kilometers of transmission and distribution lines in B.C. Maschek said dry and hot conditions in regions like South Okanagan, Similkameen, and Boundary increase wildfire risk. Fortis is hosting public information sessions to address concerns. A session is scheduled for tonight (May 14) at Greenwood Community Hall at 4 p.m., with another on May 16 at Keremeos Victory Hall, also at 4 p.m. A virtual open house is set for May 22 at 5 p.m., accessible at . At our press deadline, Fortis has reversed its position. See follow-up story in Friday's Herald.
Global News
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Power shutoff initiative creating ‘wave of fear,' says Princeton, B.C. mayor
Concerns are growing over a plan to shut off power in nearly a dozen communities across the Similkameen and Kootenay-Boundary regions of British Columbia to reduce wildfire risk. FortisBC is launching a new initiative it calls the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). The power giant says it will initiate the PSPS during extreme weather such as extreme heat and powerful wind events to reduce the chance of trees and branches making contact with live powerlines and igniting fires. However, the initiative has many people, including residents, business owners in affected communities and local governments, expressing some serious concerns. Some of those concerns were brought up on Thursday at the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen's (RDOS) board meeting, where Fortis representatives outlined the plan. 'I'm sorry. It's not acceptable,' Princeton mayor Spencer Coyne told Fortis at the RDOS meeting. Story continues below advertisement 'When it's 40-plus degrees out, people are going to start dying because they don't have air conditioning.' While Coyne told Fortis he understands the importance of reducing the fire risk, the policy has some serious ramifications. 'I get where you guys are coming from. I really do. But you also forget where we're coming from,' a concerned Coyne said. ''We're not going to have water. We're not going to have medical services. We're not going to have gasoline. 'Our refrigerators and our freezers are going to go down, and we're going to lose our food. We won't have a restaurant to go to. We won't have a restaurant to go to. Like has any of this been taken into consideration?' 2:13 FortisBC to try proactive power shutoffs in some Southern Interior wildfire situations In Keremeos, another affected community, resident Jessica Johnson also expressed concerns. Story continues below advertisement 'We feel incredibly vulnerable, we feel incredibly scared,' she told Global News. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Johnson runs the Riverbank Acres Bed and Breakfast and said the company's so-called 'proactive' outage will have a big impact on both her home and business. 'As a home and family we're concerned about our freezers and fridges rotting full of food,' Johnson said. 'There would be no air conditioning, no ability to cook for people, so that would impact us, of course, financially.' Fortis' corporate communications senior adviser Gary Toft said the company is hearing the concerns. 'This is not something we would do lightly. It would only be used as a last resort,' Toft said. 'We are having discussions with communities and emergency services to understand what supports can be put in place.' Coyne said that is something that should have been done prior to announcing the new policy. 'They say they're still working on it, but if this is just something you're thinking about, or this is something you're still working on, that's when you are supposed to come to all the stakeholders and get input and work with us, and then you come up with a policy,' Coyne said. 'Right now, what they've done is they've said they're going to do this and they've set a wave of fear across our entire region.' Story continues below advertisement Coyne has written a letter to both the provincial government and the B.C. Utilities Commission hoping they intervene. Johnson is also hoping the initiative doesn't go ahead as planned. 'I just feel like they are well overplaying their cards on this,' Johnson said. 'It's one thing to be ready to go because an emergency has happened, it's entirely another because they think something could happen, maybe. ' The 10 communities Fortis has identified as high-risk for wildfires and where the PSPS initiative will be implemented include Princeton, Midway, Greenwood, Beaverdell, Christian Valley, Westbridge, Rock Creek, Cawston, Keremeos, and Hedley.
Global News
02-05-2025
- Business
- Global News
Fortis plan to reduce wildfire risk across Southern Interior raises other safety concerns
FortisBC will be implementing a new initiative for the 2025 wildfire season in an effort to reduce wildfire risk. But as the 'Public Safety Power Shutoff' initiative aims to decrease the chance of wildfires, it's raising other safety concerns. 'It sounds like a good idea, you know, I still have a few questions,' said Princeton mayor Spencer Coyne. Princeton is among 10 communities in the Southern Interior where the plan is being implemented for the 2025 wildfire season. They include Princeton, Midway, Greenwood, Beaverdell, Christian Valley, Westbridge, Rock Creek, Cawston, Keremeos, and Hedley. The communities were deemed 'high-risk' for wildfires by Fortis. The initiative will see Fortis cut off power in the mentioned communities, if warranted, during extreme weather events. Story continues below advertisement 'When you have very high winds, high heat, low humidity and tinder-dry vegetation, we will reach out to local emergency services and make a decision whether we need to turn off power,' said Gary Toft, senior adviser of corporate communications with Fortis. 2:36 L.A. wildfires: Winds, low humidity threaten to fuel fires ravaging county The power outage would prevent branches and trees from falling onto live power lines and igniting. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'We're asking folks to be prepared,' Toft said. 'So make sure you have a backup plan in case of a power outage … for lighting, for staying cool, for preparing food. Make sure you have an emergency kit.' While no one wants to see wildfire destruction, Fortis' plan is being met with concerns as residents could lose power for several days. A staff report presented to the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) board on Wednesday states, 'Emergency Management staff are concerned that the health and safety of residents are being put at risk.' Story continues below advertisement The report adds, 'Many locations identified as cooling centres for extreme heat events do not have backup power generation' The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen (RDOS) echoed the sentiment, telling Global News, 'it shares many of the concerns.' 'We're talking to emergency services,' Toft said. 'We're in the process of implementing this so people, people have questions, people have concerns, we want to hear that feedback, because that's important and how we implement this.' Fortis will be holding two public information sessions including one in Greenwood (Greenwood Community Hall) on May 14 and the other in Keremeos (Victory Hall) on May 15. Both are scheduled fr0m 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. The company will also hold a virtual public open house on May 22 to provide more information. 'After speaking with them (Fortis), they put a lot of my, you know, uneasiness at rest,' Coyne said 'It's only going to be in certain circumstances, and it's not going to be like weekly, or anything like that. It's strictly to prevent something like California, or you know other places, from happening here.' For more information on the Public Safety Power Shutoff initiative or information on how to prepare for a power outage, you can go to the FortisBC website. Story continues below advertisement
