As we wrap up wildfire safety week and are quickly approaching wildfire season, it is imperative to stay educated and prepared to maintain the safety of yourself and your community! See below on some resources, tips, and updates from SCE on how they are getting ready to tackle this wildfire season.

Free Battery Program Provides Medical Baseline Customers More Resiliency
All Californians need to be prepared for potential outages, especially those who rely on electricity for medical devices and equipment and live in a high fire risk area. Southern California Edison’s Medical Baseline customers can now have greater peace of mind with a clean, portable backup battery, with renewable charging from an accompanying solar panel, through the utility’s Critical Care Backup Battery Program!

Eligible customers will receive a letter informing them about the program and providing details on how to work with an SCE-approved contractor to determine the appropriate battery size for their medical devices. Once confirmed, the contractor will then deliver and set up the backup battery and solar panel for customers free of charge! Click here to read the full article and see if YOU qualify!

New Pilot Technology Helps Combat Wildfires
SCE is piloting the use of Rapid Earth Fault Current Limiters that sense disturbances on the electric grid and instantly reduces the power flowing through a line to help combat the increasing threat of wildfires. Click here to watch a video to learn more about this effort!

Grid Design & System Hardening
SCE is installing new or improved devices and technologies to reduce the likelihood that our electrical system will be the source of ignition. Some of these measures are also part of the concerted efforts to minimize the number of impacted customers during a PSPS. Replacing bare wire with insulated wire, also known as covered conductor, significantly reduces the possibility of the power line arcing or sparking if contact occurs with an object like a tree branch or metallic balloon. Fast-acting fuses interrupt current more quickly and reduce the risk of ignitions when there is an electrical an electrical fault, such as when a tree falls on a power line during high winds. Read more here

Backup Power Projects
SCE is providing backup generation and battery solutions to prepare customers and communities for potential emergencies and outages. These programs and services will help minimize the impact of PSPS, especially for the most vulnerable communities.

• Rebates on portable power stations, generators and battery storage

• Critical Care Backup Battery program that provides no-cost backup battery for eligible income-qualified customers who rely on medical equipment and live in a high fire risk area

• Resiliency zones that provide temporary backup generation for essential services such as pharmacies, grocery stores and gas stations, in rural communities during PSPS

• Launched a microgrid resiliency pilot with San Jacinto High School. Microgrids, or self-contained electric grids, can provide around-the-clock energy for a limited time and can operate while tied to the larger electric system and separated or “islanded” from it. A second pilot site has been identified for a school in San Bernardino County to mitigate the impacts of PSPS for nearby communities.

Staying Fire Resistant
Have you seen a fire-resistant pole? SCE is installing a mix of composite poles and wooden poles with fire-resistant wrap, which reduces the risk of damaged poles during an emergency and allows us to safely restore power more quickly to customers!