2024 Wildfire Mitigation for Utilities Conference

February 6-7, 2024 | Irwindale, CA :: Pacific Time

0224-wildfire-mitigation

“The caliber of guest speakers and their presentations is unrivaled. Details of historical, present, and future strategies and technologies employed were covered, including deep dives into forecasting modeling. This is a must for individuals in the utility industry to keep up with wildfire mitigation strategies!” Electrical Engineer, California Department of Water Resources

“Really enjoyed hearing the lessons learned from other utilities in the west and things they are doing to move the wildfire and PSPS programs forward.” Project Manager, EWEB

“Good event for getting up to date on the impact of wildfires on the electrical systems of the western U.S.” Vegetation Supervisor, Pacificorp

In 2023, the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reports a staggering 50,015 wildfires scorching more than 2.5 million acres across the United States. Electric utilities operating in wildfire-prone regions face escalating risks, making it imperative for them to adopt comprehensive strategies to minimize their exposure and financial liabilities.

Join us at this crucial summit, where utility professionals and wildfire experts will discuss pressing issues, share insights, and chart a course for a more resilient future. At this event, you can expect:

• Regulatory Insights: Gain a deep understanding of regulatory perspectives on wildfire mitigation plans, enabling your utility to navigate the complex landscape more effectively.
• Wildfire Trends & Resilience Strategies: Stay informed about the latest wildfire trends and discover resilient strategies to fortify your utility to weather the storm.
• Wildland/Urban Interface & Vegetation Management Challenges: Explore the unique challenges posed by the wildland/urban interface and find innovative solutions for effective vegetation management.
• Technological Advancements: Stay at the forefront of wildfire mitigation with insights into the latest technological advancements to bolster your utility’s defenses.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to safeguard your utility’s future. Register now to secure your spot at the forefront of wildfire mitigation in the utility sector.

Learning Outcomes

This conference will provide attendees an opportunity to:

• Discuss regulatory views of successful utility wildfire mitigation plans
• Demonstrate best practices on how to revise wildfire mitigation plans based on lessons learned from the latest wildfire season
• Examine strategies for grid hardening, situational awareness, and vegetation management
• Identify lessons learned from case studies of recent wildfires
• Explore new and traditional ways of forecasting and planning for wildfire risk
• Review best practices for public safety power shutoff events
• Discuss how to collaborate with customers, community groups, federal agencies and other stakeholders to stay ahead of impending disasters
• Detail current undergrounding projects
• Discover how utilities can best position themselves to receive funding from grant programs

Tuesday, February 6, 2024 : Pacific Time

 

9:00 – 9:30 a.m. :: Welcome Message

Ray Fugere, Director, Wildfire Safety, SCE

9:30 – 10:40 a.m. :: Panel Discussion: Regulatory Objectives for Effective Wildfire Mitigation Plans

Regulators from various states and British Columbia come together to outline the key objectives they seek in comprehensive utility wildfire mitigation plans. As we prepare for the upcoming fire season, it is essential for utilities to craft clear action plans and ensure they contribute to enhanced resilience. This session will delve into the specifics of successful mitigation objectives and goals.

Moderator: Caroline Thomas-Jacobs, Director, Office of Energy Infrastructure & Safety, State of California

David Morton, Former Commissioner, British Columbia Utilities Commission

Eric Anderson, Commissioner, Idaho Public Utilities Commission

Heidi Caswell, Safety Division Administrator, Oregon Public Utility Commission

Tom Plant, Commissioner, Colorado Public Utilities Commission

Nick Myers, Commissioner, Arizona Corporation Commission

10:40 – 11:00 a.m. :: Networking Break

11:00 – 11:45 a.m. :: Wildfire Trends and the Road to Resilience

Explore the evolving landscape of wildfires in the U.S. as indices suggest an increased frequency and severity of fires. This session focuses on the imperative for utilities to create action plans to combat the growing wildfire threats and build greater resilience.

Shaun Gahagan, Program Manager, San Diego Gas & Electric SDGE

Jeff Vail, Deputy Regional Forester, U.S. Forest Service

11:45 – 12:15 p.m. :: System Hardening & Undergrounding – PG&E’s Strategies

In this session, an expert from Pacific Gas & Electric shares insights into their strategies for enhancing the resilience of their grid and offers a glimpse into their ongoing project implementations.

Matt Pender, Sr. Director, Undergrounding Strategy & Program, PG&E

12:15 – 1:00 p.m. :: Group Luncheon Hosted by Direxyon

1:00 – 1:30 p.m. :: Public Safety Power Shutoffs and Effective Outage Management

Explore the critical considerations in incorporating Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) into utility wildfire mitigation plans. During severe wildfire threats, investor-owned utilities have the authority to shut off electric power as a last-resort preventative measure. Key factors such as timeline, considerations, precautions, and communication strategies before, during, and after PSPS will be discussed.

Nisha Menon, Strategy Manager, Wildfire Mitigation, San Diego Gas & Electric

1:30 – 2:15 p.m. :: Addressing Wildland/Urban Interface Challenges and Vegetation Management

The increasing development in wildland/urban interface areas poses heightened risks and escalating suppression costs. Vegetation management is crucial and is one of the largest expense items in maintaining overhead transmission and distribution systems. This panel brings together experts in Wildland/Urban Interface (WUI) and vegetation management to explore best practices in mitigating wildfire risks, considering variations in clearance requirements across states.

Frank Frievalt, Director, Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Institute, Cal Poly

Dave DeLange, Vegetation Manager, Trinity Public Utilities District

2:15 – 3:00 p.m. :: Leveraging Technology for Community Resource Center Staffing & Reporting

Exceptional emergency preparedness begins with the right program and the right technology. Join us to learn how Southwest Strategies and RAYVN collaborate to provide clients with staffing, real-time communication and reporting during wildfire and emergency events.

Melissa Cameron, SVP & Partner, Southwest Strategies

Erik Skaara, Chief Business Development Officer, RAYVN

3:00 – 3:30 p.m. :: Networking Break

3:30 – 5:00 p.m. :: Technological Advancements and Tools for Enhanced Wildfire Management

This session showcases the latest technologies and tools designed to simplify forecasting, operational decision-making, and modeling fire behavior. Presentations and case studies will highlight innovative solutions for more effective wildfire management.

Forecasting the Unprecedented: Wildfire/Risk Modeling in an Uncertain World

This session showcases the latest technologies and tools designed to simplify forecasting, operational decision-making, and modeling fire behavior. Presentations and case studies will highlight innovative solutions for more effective wildfire management.

Pavel Grechanuk, Ph.D., Senior Wildfire Risk Data Scientist, Technosylva

Identifying Change that Matters: Satellite-based Wildfire Monitoring & Detection

This session showcases the latest technologies and tools designed to simplify forecasting, operational decision-making, and modeling fire behavior. Presentations and case studies will highlight innovative solutions for more effective wildfire management.

Steve Maisonet, Key Account Executive – North America, Ororatech

 

Wednesday, February 7, 2024 : Pacific Time

9:00 – 10:00 a.m. :: Best Practices for Wildfire Mitigation

Join utility professionals and thought leaders as they share their best practices and insights on infrastructure & grid enhancements aimed at reducing wildfire risks. Learn from their experiences in deploying strategies to bolster wildfire mitigation.

Jaden Mitzel, Program Manager, Wildfire Risk, Black Hills Energy

Jordan Ambrogi, Wildfire Mitigation Program Manager, CORE

10:00 – 10:30 a.m. :: Networking Break

10:30 – 11:15 a.m. :: Leveraging Technology for Smarter Wildfire Management

Discover the latest advancements in technology and tools that are revolutionizing the way utilities forecast, make operational decisions, and model fire behavior. This session presents cutting-edge solutions for optimizing wildfire management.

Shayne McLaughlin, Regional Sales Manager, Fortress

11:15 – 12:00 p.m. :: Operational Excellence in Fire Prevention

While significant enhancements in system design play a vital role in minimizing wildfire threats, this session emphasizes the importance of operational procedures, supplemental inspections, and maintenance work. Explore the evolving culture of utility operations and gain insights into best practices for day-to-day operations.

Craig Hart, Principal Manager, Wildfire Operations, SCE

Brett Phillips, Manager, Grid Asset Engineering, Portland General

12:00 p.m. :: Conference Adjourns

Jordan Ambrogi, Wildfire Mitigation Program Manager, CORE

Eric Anderson, Commissioner, Idaho Public Utilities Commission

David Buckley, VP & COO, Technosylva

Melissa Cameron, SVP & Partner, Southwest Strategies

Dave DeLange, Vegetation Manager, Trinity Public Utilities District

Frank Frievalt, Director, Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Institute, Cal Poly

Ray Fugere, Director, Wildfire Safety, SCE

Shaun Gahagan, Program Manager, San Diego Gas & Electric SDGE

Pavel Grechanuk, Ph.D., Senior Wildfire Risk Data Scientist, Technosylva

Craig Hart, Principal Manager, Wildfire Operations, SCE

Steve Maisonet, Key Account Executive – North America, Ororatech

Shayne McLaughlin, Regional Sales Manager, Fortress

Nisha Menon, Strategy Manager, Wildfire Mitigation, San Diego Gas & Electric

Jaden Mitzel, Program Manager, Wildfire Risk, Black Hills Energy

David Morton, Former Commissioner, British Columbia Utilities Commission

Nick Myers, Commissioner, Arizona Corporation Commission

Dan Nunez, Manager, Wildfire Planning, Portland General

Matt Pender, Sr. Director, Undergrounding Strategy & Program, PG&E

Brett Phillips, Manager, Grid Asset Engineering, Portland General

Erik Skaara, Chief Business Development Officer, RAYVN

Caroline Thomas-Jacobs, Director, Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety, State of California

Jeff Vail, Deputy Regional Forester, U.S. Forest Service

 

In-person registrations have sold out! You can still sign up to attend online or email [email protected] to have your name added to a waitlist for in-person attendance

Please Note: This event is being conducted entirely online. All attendees will connect and attend from their computer, one connection per purchase. For details please see our FAQ

If you are unable to attend at the scheduled date and time, we make recordings available to all attendees for 7 days after the event

REGISTER NOW FOR THIS EVENT:

2024 Wildfire Mitigation for Utilities Conference

February 6-7, 2024 | Irwindale, CA

Your registration may be transferred to a member of your organization up to 24 hours in advance of the event. Cancellations must be received on or before December 29, 2023 in order to be refunded and will be subject to a US $195.00 processing fee per registrant. No refunds will be made after this date. Cancellations received after this date will create a credit of the tuition (less processing fee) good toward any other EUCI event. This credit will be good for six months from the cancellation date. In the event of non-attendance, all registration fees will be forfeited. In case of conference cancellation, EUCIs liability is limited to refund of the event registration fee only. For more information regarding administrative policies, such as complaints and refunds, please contact our offices at 303-770-8800

Credits

EUCI is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and offers IACET CEUs for its learning events that comply with the ANSI/IACET Continuing Education and Training Standard. IACET is recognized internationally as a standard development organization and accrediting body that promotes quality of continuing education and training.

EUCI is authorized by IACET to offer 0.8 CEUs conference.

Requirements for Successful Completion of Program

Participants must sign in/out each day and be in attendance for the entirety of the course to be eligible for continuing education credit.

Instructional Methods

Case Studies, Panel Discussions and PowerPoint presentations will be used in the program.

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Upon successful completion of this event, program participants interested in receiving CPE credits will receive a certificate of completion.

Conference CPE Credits: 9.5
There is no prerequisite for this event.
Program field of study: Specialized Knowledge
Program Level: Basic
Delivery Method: Group Live
Advanced Preparation: None

EUCI is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its web site: www.nasbaregistry.org

 

Who Should Attend

Individuals working in the following areas will benefit from attending this event:

• Electric Utility Leaders
• Utility Risk Management Professionals
• Utility Grid Planning and Operations Specialists
• Utility Transmission and Field Services Personnel
• State and Federal Agencies
• Mitigation Specialists
• Policy Makers
• Researchers
• Corporate Communications Specialists
• Insurers
• Consultants
• Fire Prevention & Mitigation Technology Providers