BOISE, Idaho — Wildfire danger is the highest it's been so far this calendar year. Just this week, the Idaho Department of Lands upgraded the risk to "very high," which isn't the top of the scale, but it's a 4 out of 5 for fire danger. The only category above this one is "extreme."
Idaho Power is also monitoring the fire conditions, like wind, temperature and moisture, "around the clock". The public utility company is watching this closely, in part, to evaluate if it needs to put their "Public Safety Power Shutoff" plan in motion.
Essentially, it's an emergency plan where power would get turned off to homes that are in high wildfire danger areas. Idaho Power said it will use the plan when weather conditions, like a high wind event, could damage powerlines and potentially start a wildfire.
Jon Axtman, the Idaho Power Director of Wildfire Mitigation and Transmission and Distribution Engineering, previously said "the criteria that we'll be looking for is dry vegetation, really low humidity levels and high winds."
Right now, vegetation is dry and humidity levels are very low. So, there's only one component keeping this plan from going into motion – high winds.
"We're starting to see fire fuels dry out. High winds are really a big driver of the Public Safety Power Shutoff system," Idaho Power Communications Specialist Brad Bowlin said. "So, we would really need that to be a component of what's going on in order to trigger a potential PSPS event, and we're not currently seeing those winds in the forecast."
This plan has not been put into action yet and Idaho Power considers it a last resort.
Idaho Power is already taking extra precautions to prevent a wildfire. It's increased sensitivity settings for powerlines in places with higher wildfire risk. That means, if a tree branch hits a powerline, the electricity cuts off, limiting the risk of starting a fire.
If conditions trigger a PSPS event, Idaho Power hopes to give customers as much notice as possible. But, it's worth preparing as much as possible so that you know how to do every day tasks without electricity. You can find additional tips from Idaho Power here.
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