PG&E proposes wildfire precautions

PG&E Proposes Nearly $2 Billion in Rate Hikes to Bolster Wildfire Precautions:

  • installing stronger poles

  • introducing technology to respond faster to fallen power lines

  • enhancing weather forecasting models

  • increasing coverage in high-threat areas by adding close to 600 fire cameras.

I think we all knew the rate hikes were comingā€¦but itā€™s good they want to try to make things better

Hi,

How about clearing areas near power lines so that there are less combustible materials nearby?

www.wastetowisdom.com is a project website which was done in Washington State that clears logging residues and turns them into useful products, instead of doing onsite burning of those residues.

2 Likes

Seems NOAA would have the best weather forecasting models available. Why would we want PGE to reinvent that wheel?

1 Like

SDGE has done most all of the above and it seems to be working pretty well

1 Like

How about enforcing clearing around peopleā€™s dwellings and out building. There no way rolling over and ā€œacceptingā€ rate hikes cuz of others peoples lazynes is acceptable! Cal Fire along with local jurisdictions need the power to not only enforce and fine, but work to clear the folks who make it hard on all of us in the wildland. GREAT STORY! I, as well as 15 people Iā€™ve talked to have just been dropped from our home owners insurance. I personally have 200 feet clearance all around my home as well as stucco and tile roof. Camp fire struck the fear of god in the underwriters and they are clearly not educated on fire safe properties! So frustrating.
But raising PGE rates is a joke! Hope you all have solar.

1 Like

Spoke with a State Farm agent just yesterday. They enforce a 275ā€™ clearance before they insure in high fire areas. My father in law was dropped by AAA because he lives in a high fire area. His house us 4 CITY BLOCKS away from the San Bernardino NF inside city limits.

Private industry can enforce what and how they want. No different than Chubb Insurance offering and providing supplemental protection with private fire companies

275! Wow. That said I can make that happen it they refused to quote me when I callled them. They possibly may just want out of California. I was shot down by Chubb too. Private business has one responsibility to the shareholders. And they are definitely ensuring their sustainability. I just hope that all the people in California can find decent home owners insurance and not be raked over the coals for it. I can tell you one thing for sure, this situation just strengthens my decision to move out of state when I retire.

2 Likes

AAA will only write for a residential dwelling up to a fire hazard class 4 right now. I just purchased a house in a Class 6 area and AAA and 2 of their underwriters would not insure the house. I went to USAA.

They do clear around poles but not around high voltage transmission lines. When the wind is gusting to 45-50 with spot fires Ā¾ to a mile a head of the fire a 10 foot cleared circle is not going to do you much good. And who is paying for the clearing of the residue? That would be the end consumer.

Clearing is a great idea under average burning conditions; even moderate burning conditions. When the wind is howling you can not clear enough area to be ā€œsafeā€. When you have hundreds of fire personnel responding, their priority has to be protection of life (rightly so). There is no one left to fight fire or protect structures, even if you could fight fire under extreme burning conditions. It becomes the home ownerā€™s responsibility. They can meet that responsibility prior to the incident or take the hand they are dealt when it is all over.

You are right, there will be no rolling over accepting rate hikes. It will be more of a grab your ankles movement. If Moon beam would cancel that waste of money bullet train there would be money available to protect the people. Hum, that is a novel idea. A government function of protecting the people. I guess that is why in CA prop 65 tells everyone they are exposed to carcinogens wherever you go and you have to pay for your grocery bag (which is heavier than the old bags and will last in the environment (along the freeway) for many more years).

Ever try to buy a life insurance policy that pays for death by suicide? Same with buying home ownerā€™s insurance for a structure in the WUI. We choose where we live and every where has its trade offs.

2 Likes

Technology to respond faster??? PG&E arching line jumpers. Rockets with foam dispensing nose cones. Red lights and sirens on utility trucks. Drone delivered utility workers. PG&E work yards with 3 minute response times to any potential threat.

600 cameras should help in a court situation. Hard for a lawyer to argue against visual proof that the power line started the fire.

How about company policies like allowing a line fault to re-energize 2 times to see if the issued cleared itself up. There is probably a financial reason for that but lets say if a RAWS unit shows over 35mph wind gust that the lines do not re-energize until the cause of the fault is identified or someone is on scene when the line is energized to address the potential threat of a fire.

I personally like the idea that insulators in ā€œhigh riskā€ areas are built enclosed inside a fire proof container. I know all kinds of difficulties jump up i.e. shorting, increased work load on linemen, cost, water and corrosion, heat buildup, uv deterioration of plastics on and on. But it can be done. Should they? Ask anyone that lives(ed) in Paradise, CA.

Well said!

Gotta pay to stayā€¦ all of ā€œusā€ know the big dogs gonna eat. Get out the way to stay alive. All can be replaced. Itā€™s the requirement by the Morgage companies to have homeowners that presses the greater issues we all face. Would it not be wired if the Morgage and insurance companies where in on this! No, I donā€™t think thatā€¦ but we all must face reality, clearance of a property will not stop a nuclear bomb from blowing through a community. And insurance companies now know they will go bankrupt if they take homeowners in the WUIā€™s business.

Thanks for the comments!

2 Likes

mortĀ·gage
/ĖˆmĆ“rÉ”ij/Submit
noun
1.
a legal agreement by which a bank or other creditor lends money at interest in exchange for taking title of the debtorā€™s property, with the condition that the conveyance of title becomes void upon the payment of the debt.

Just a little clarification on thatā€¦

ā€œRe-energizingā€ lines\circuits. ā€¦May also want to check on that. Yes, thatā€™s how systems worked but being phased out by a( for lack of better terms) series of smart boxes that talk to eachother, and based on their" conversation " will not RE-ENERGIZE a second time.

California fuel pumps are what??? 90 cents more a gallon because of xyz tax? Do you drive to Oregon to let someone else pump your gas AND save 90 cents. noā€¦so donā€™t complain about something you wonā€™t do a Damn thing about when it comes time to pay the bill!

Just do your diligence as a CALIFORNIA home owner and do what you can. Clean up, thinā€¦she-diligenceā€¦still is not an absolute.

If you live in the bay, do you install floatits in your house in case the peninsula falls in the pacific?

How many have declined ā€œseismicā€ insurance? Well kids, Guess what volcanoes and ensuing damage would be considered? Thereā€™s a FEW places that could happen in the state!

No one can be prepared for everything. Not everything can be insured ,replaced or even consider that it can possibly even be destroyed

And if you have not been on the hill in honey run, paradise ,camelot,concow, jarbo, berry crk, magalia, or witnessed it first hand, studied the the fire spread,speed and damageā€¦ Take it to facebook! Iā€™ll fated rumors and hearsay survive well in conversation there.

1 Like

Where did that come from? LA democrats control the vote in CA the same as Portland in OR and Seattle in WA. But wrong venue for that topic. What is a facebook?

Thanks for sharing about the re-energizing of lines and ā€œsmart boxesā€. I live in the mountains east of Paradise and my power will shut down, come back on, shut down come back on and on occasion not come back on for a period of time. I have nothing but admiration for electric utility workers. Unsung heroes in all kinds of weather and working conditions. Well, share holder dividends should (and have, temporarily) take a hit to cover some of the cost of the accidents that happen. And since all Californians and dare I say others in the NW enjoy the benefits of PG&Eā€™s power production so it is fair that the rate payers state wide also share the cost. I still hold firm that the bullet train should dumped. Up to $77 billion and counting. Completion date out to 2033. Voters only approved 10 billion. Again wrong venue but thanks for the time.

1 Like

Did the LE38 program go away or not enforced or something? Itā€™s been 9 years but last I remember Power companies are suppose to maintain a 300 ft line on those 270KV towers. unless youā€™re talking about the smaller wooden distribution lines. What Iā€™m seeing when I watch footage of fires is homes with perfectly good defensible space being rendered useless by folks in the neighborhood that decide to be pack rats and not do their due diligence on preparing a defensible space on their property. . Burning large material fly into other peoples homes that did the right thing and burn it down. The Courts need to help the local fire law enforcement mitigate hazard properties to reduce high risk impact to homeowners that do the right thing. Iā€™m betting insurance ISO is judging neighborhoods in the WUI by the worst home in the neighborhood and adjust rates appropriately. Just my 2 cents.