SPOKANE, Wash. – Inland Power customers may experience more frequent and longer outages this summer as the utility company implements enhanced fire safety measures in response to wildfire danger.
The utility company is already using Level 2 of its four fire safety levels on all power lines, meaning every outage requires manual inspection before the line can be restored. This safety protocol makes power lines more sensitive to high winds and any objects that might hit them, potentially creating longer outages.
Inland Power’s four different levels of fire safety depend on temperatures, winds and other weather conditions.
While other power companies in the region use public safety power shutoffs during extreme weather before outages occur, Inland Power does not anticipate implementing any this summer.
“We’re working with other utilities throughout the region on creating a public safety power shutoff program for the most extreme situations. In those situations, it would not necessarily be entirely system-wide,” said Andy Barth, vice president of community relations at Inland Power.
The company said customers who need power for medical equipment factor into its decision not to plan for public safety power shutoffs this summer.
Inland Power said it tries to communicate as much as possible with customers during outages through phone calls and social media updates. The company will continue using its fire safety mode until burn bans are lifted and weather conditions cool off.
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