May Fire Council featured a talk by La Plata Electric Association (LPEA) VP of Distributions, Jerry Sutherlin

Jerry discussed the concept of implementing a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). What is PSPS? A Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) is a wildfire mitigation tool that is used by utility companies to limit the risk of wildfire ignition due to downed equipment or debris. This is a common mitigation practice used during hot, dry, and windy conditions when fire risk is high. The intention behind a PSPS is to keep our communities safe. A map showing the distribution of areas affected will be available on LPEA’s website.

Jerry covered how LPEA developed the technology to decide to implement PSPS, how they plan on communicating to communities during a potential PSPS event, and how PSPS can be a very useful mitigation tool to prevent wildfires.