Our Commitment to Wildfire Safety
SDG&E is a national leader in utility wildfire mitigation. We’ve worked hard to develop a comprehensive wildfire safety program to help protect our customers, communities and stakeholders.
Our highest priority is safety and we’ve made significant investments to improve, repair and strengthen our existing infrastructure.
We are proud of the many technology projects we’ve completed, including Alert SDG&E cameras and our weather network .
Collaboration with Local Agencies
Collaboration with local agencies has taken place for many years and has helped increased resources, including
SDG&E grants help fire agencies get new state-of-the-art equipment, including upgraded maps and radios, self-contained breathing units, medical equipment, and mobile computers on fire engines.
Critical technology has been developed and its data is shared with other agencies.
Investments to the electric system so it’s more resilient against severe weather and wildfires.
SDG&E Aircrane
The Erickson Aircrane is a vital tool to fight wildfires in San Diego. Last year was the eighth-year the company has contracted to use the Aircrane.
The Aircrane is an impressive machine, holding a maximum of 2,650 gallons of water or fire suppressant – the equivalent of five fire engines. It can be airborne within 15 minutes, and takes only 45 seconds to refill its tank. Over the last eight-plus years it has made more than 820 water drops. That’s over half a million gallons of water dropped to protect our homes, businesses and communities.
Bringing back the Aircrane for another fire season is just one of the many enhancements we, and our partners, have made over the years to improve wildfire readiness. Working collaboratively with the County, local jurisdictions and the state is key to ensuring our communities are as safe as possible.
Safe and Reliable Operations
We take our responsibility to operate the electric grid very seriously. If conditions threaten the integrity of our system, we will turn off power to protect public safety. Some of the factors that are taken into consideration include the circumstances of the emergency, wind speed measurements, temperature, humidity, field observations by SDG&E crews and information from fire agencies.
While some homes may be located where there is not high winds, other parts of the line or circuit serving homes may be located in an area experiencing gusty wind conditions that require a power shutoff as a safety measure.
Before power is restored, field crews patrol lines and deem them safe to re-energize. When patrolling, crews look for safety hazards like downed power lines, debris, tree branches caught on lines, or broken hardware. If damage is found, repairs must be made first.
Additional Wildfire Safety Resources
In collaboration with UCSD and the University of Nevada, Reno, these high-definition cameras improve fire detection through a live-streaming view of San Diego’s most fire-prone areas.
Our team of four full-time meteorologists help us make informed operational decisions. They’re constantly analyzing weather data and providing microclimate forecasts to our electric system operators.
Our fire protection efforts extend to a comprehensive vegetation management program. Arborists, tree trimmers and pole brush experts maintain clearances around 460,000 trees and brush is cleared around 30,000 poles.
Our comprehensive fire-risk mitigation program helps protect our customers, communities and stakeholders. And we stay committed to continuing our collaborative and proactive approach into the future.