Community Wildfire Safety Program

Nothing is more important to us than keeping our customers and communities safe. Extreme weather events driven by climate change are causing unprecedented and unanticipated wildfires. Years of drought, extreme heat and 129 million dead trees have created a “new normal” for our state, and we must continue to adapt to meet these challenges.

Our Community Wildfire Safety Program implements additional precautionary measures intended to reduce wildfire threats and strengthen our communities for the future.

Wildfire Prevention and Safety Efforts

In coordination with customers, community leaders and first responders, we are bolstering wildfire prevention and emergency response efforts:

• Monitoring wildfire risks in real time and coordinating prevention and response efforts from our new Wildfire Safety Operations Center
• Expanding our network of PG&E weather stations to advance our weather forecasting abilities and better predict where extreme wildfire danger could occur to help keep our customers and communities safe

Following last year’s wildfires, we are putting in place new and enhanced safety measures intended to reduce wildfire threats:

• Enhancing our vegetation management practices in high fire-threat areas to meet new state vegetation and fire safety standards
• Partnering with customers in the highest fire-threat areas to create “fire defense zones” by reducing vegetation and brush near or under power lines that can act as fuel in case of a wildfire
• Disabling the automatic reclosing of circuit breakers and reclosers on lines in high fire-threat areas during fire season and during periods of high fire-risk
• And, as a last resort during extreme fire danger conditions, taking steps to proactively turn off electric power to protect public safety

Over the longer term, we are doing more to harden our electric system and integrate new technologies to make a stronger and more resilient grid:

• Investing in stronger, coated power lines
• Replacing certain wood poles with non-wood material in high fire-threat areas

Why PG&E is Taking Action with the Community Wildfire Safety Program

Extreme weather is increasing the number of large wildfires and the length of the wildfire season in California.

• In 2017 alone, California confronted more wildfires than ever before
• Five of the 20 most destructive wildfires in the state’s history burned between October and December
• And, so far in 2018, our state has experienced more wildfires than last year at this time

PG&E recognizes that we can’t do this alone. We need to work together with civic and community leaders, first responders, state leaders, and other energy companies on solutions and new ways of thinking to stay ahead of California’s changing climate and ensure the ongoing delivery of safe and reliable energy.

Working Together with Our Customers

We want to work together to share information and help our customers and communities prepare for and stay safe during extreme weather events.

PG&E has a plan to deal with the growing threat of extreme weather and wildfires. We want all our customers to have plans, too.

• More information about our wildfire safety efforts, including tips to help customers prepare an emergency preparedness plan, can be found at com/wildfiresafety
• Customers can also check their address to see if they are served by a PG&E electric line that may be turned off for safety during extreme weather conditions – and, if so, they can sign up for important wildfire safety alerts at com/mywildfirealerts

Together, we can all take steps to prepare our homes, businesses and families to stay emergency-ready and safe during wildfire season.