Best Practices for Utility Wildfire Mitigation Planning

December 12-13, 2023 | Online :: Pacific Time

1223-wildfire-mitigation

The severity of escalating wildfire threats has reached a critical threshold, primarily due to the prolonged duration of wildfire seasons and the increasing size of fires. In response, states are enacting new requirements for utilities to submit Wildfire Mitigation Plans (WMPs) or Natural Disaster Protection Plans. These initiatives are designed to improve utility wildfire safety by focusing on the mitigation of ignition risks arising from their own infrastructure. The development of wildfire mitigation strategies demands collaboration with a diverse range of stakeholders. It’s crucial to consider wildfire risk in specific communities, with an emphasis on long-term resilience. Effective use of data is imperative in understanding and proactively strategizing for potential risks.  

EUCI’s Best Practices for Utility Wildfire Mitigation Planning course will address the essential processes, tools, and capabilities required for utility-driven mitigation efforts. Register now to gain systematic long range risk reduction strategies for utilities and the communities that they serve.

Learning Outcomes

• Review best practices on how to prepare wildfire mitigation plans
• Identify how to tailor wildfire mitigation plans to address specific services areas and risks
• Discuss the importance of communication between stakeholders in developing wildfire mitigation plans
• Assess trends in vegetation mitigation strategies
• Examine regulatory considerations by state
• Review wildfire mitigation methodologies
• Assess the value of data in developing mitigation strategies
• Identify key concerns in power safety shut-off policies
• Examine a variety of engineering strategies in mitigation efforts
• Develop an understanding of the importance of situational awareness in creating a wildfire mitigation plan

Tuesday, December 12, 2023 : Pacific Time

 

9:00 – 9:30 a.m. :: Introduction

• Overview
• Objectives

9:30 – 10:00 a.m. :: Regulatory Landscape

Navigating utility wildfire mitigation planning involves achieving tangible outcomes. This session explores evolving state regulations and utility responses. Insights from various states will be discussed:

• California
• Nevada
• Oregon
• Washington
• Other

10:00 – 10:15 a.m. :: Morning Break

10:15 – 11:30 a.m. :: Evaluating Wildfire Risk

Understanding fire risk is the cornerstone of mitigation planning. This segment covers comprehensive risk assessment and the integration of data-driven strategies.

• Methodologies
• Modeling
• Data Assessment
• Data Sources
• Data Considerations
• Addressing Limitations

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. :: Lunch Break

12:30 – 2:00 p.m. :: Situational Awareness

The role of Situational awareness (SA) spans wildfire phases: preparedness, detection, response, suppression, mop-up, and reclamation. This session will examine SA in wildfire response planning.

• Strategies from California’s Investor-Owned Utilities
• Fire Potential Index (FPI)
  • Public Information
• Red Flag Indicators
• Evaluating Large Fire Potential
• Defensibility
• Agency Utilization

2:00 – 2:15 p.m. :: Afternoon Break

2:15 – 3:45 p.m. :: Vegetation Management

Sustainable utility vegetation management programs are typically focused on managing wildfire ignition, asset protection and cost. This session highlights adaptive approaches, technologies and solutions for vegetation management.

• Leading Trends
• Use of Remotely Sensed Data
• Breaking Down Utility Departmental Barriers

3:45 – 4:15 p.m. :: Performance Metrics and Monitoring

 

Wednesday, December 13, 2023 : Pacific Time

 

9:00 – 10:15 a.m. :: Mitigation Strategies

Wildfire prevention practices reduce or eliminate fire risk by removing or reducing heat sources, modifying fuels and reducing the likelihood of a heat source coming in contact with ignitable fuels. This session explores how mitigation strategies are integrated into WMPs.

• Best Field Practices
• Responses to Escalating Fire Weather Conditions
  • Optimal System Operations
  • Engineering Solutions

10:15 – 11:30 a.m. :: Public Safety Power Shutoff

Investor-owned utilities have the authority to enact public safety power shut offs to mitigate wildfire risks. This session will detail the factors to consider when adding PSPS procedures to a utility wildfire mitigation plan.

• Timeline Considerations
• Precautionary Measures
• Communication Strategies Before, During, and After

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. :: Fire Response Strategies

• Agency Collaboration & Response
• Formulating Effective Agency Relationships
• Building a Fire Classification System
• Internal Fire Intelligence Communication

Mark Regan, Fire Chief & Fire Mitigation Specialist, NV Energy 

Prior to joining NV Energy, Regan spent seven years as Fire Marshal and Division Chief for the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, and before that worked in multiple roles for the Sierra Fire Protection District. He has served as incident commander for numerous wildland fire emergencies and has been the lead investigator for multiple wildland fires. He also brings an extensive background in public safety education and outreach, having led 35 evacuation drills, including the largest full-scale drill in the state and the first bi-state evacuation drill with California and served as a public information officer.

We will be using Microsoft Teams to facilitate your participation in the upcoming event. You do not need to have an existing Teams account in order to participate in the broadcast – the course will play in your browser and you will have the option of using a microphone to speak with the room and ask questions, or type any questions in via the chat window and our on-site representative will relay your question to the instructor.

• Microsoft recommends downloading and installing the Teams app if possible. You may also use the Edge browser or Chrome.
• You will receive a separate email with a unique link to a personalized landing page which will include links to join all sessions of this event.
• If you are using a microphone, please ensure that it is muted until such time as you need to ask a question.
• The remote meeting connection will be open approximately 30 minutes before the start of the course. We encourage you to connect as early as possible in case you experience any unforeseen problems.

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:

Best Practices for Utility Wildfire Mitigation Planning

December 12-13, 2023 | Online

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 November 10, 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

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 0.9 CEUs for this course.

Requirements For Successful Completion Of Program

Participants must log on each day and be in attendance for the entirety of the course to be eligible for continuing education credit.

Instructional Methods

Case studies, PowerPoint presentations, and Q&A will be used in this event.

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

Course CPE Credits: 10.5
There is no prerequisite for this Course.
Program field of study: Specialized Knowledge
Program Level: Basic
Delivery Method: Group Internet Based
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

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