While plans to implement the hotly-contested Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) are on hold, FortisBC went ahead with open houses to reach out to the public in the hopes the corporation could dispel rumours and gain more input.
FortisBC held an open house in Greenwood at the McArthur Centre on June 11, with 15 staff members to talk directly to people about the strategy, the criteria for implementing it, how it will be communicated and why the company is going ahead.
People were free to walk in and talk directly to staff, view videos of maps, look at information boards and pick up flyers.
The first phase is being rolled out in the West Kootenays (including Greenwood, Midway, Westbridge, Beaverdell, Christian Valley, Bridesville and Rock Creek), and Okanagan-Similkameen (Princeton, Hedley, Tulmeen, Coalmont and Apex).
Currently, the PSPS plan is on indefinite hold, pending review by the BC Utilities Commission after an outcry from the public, several mayors, regional directors, business leaders and MLAs over the ramifications and lack of public input.
However, FortisBC went ahead with public meetings to gain more input and talk directly to the community, to hopefully convey that the shutoff policy is only for rare and extreme cases, explained Gary Toft, FortisBC senior advisor, Corporate Communications.
The main reason for this policy, he said, is to protect lives by preventing wildfires from trees, debris and other items coming into contact with FortisBC's electrical system.
“We are really hoping we never need to use this, but we are going on the belief that everyone needs to be ready to be on their own for 72 hours in an emergency situation,” said Toft. “We also know people's homes, health and livelihoods are being affected by this, so we are working on a strategy that best serves all interests and protects everyone’s safety.
We looked at the conditions we would need for something like this and found only one example where a PSPS would be needed and that was 10 years ago, in Princeton."
These meetings are also to gain insight from residents and local government on what assets they have, what steps can be taken to mitigate fire risk in the immediate area and what resources are available to deliver power in the short term to critical infrastructure, such as hospitals, government institutions and local utilities.
Stressing these shutoffs would be a tool of last resort, Toft pointed out FortisBC would consider several factors before implementing one, including:
- A Natural Resources Canada Fire Weather Index of 47 or more (a rating of 30 is considered extreme).
- Sustained wind speeds of 75 km/hr or more.
Other factors include input from public safety partners, local and provincial governments, Indigenous communities and infrastructure providers. Alternative mitigation will also be considered to possibly avoid a shutoff.
Phases of a PSPS will adjust according to conditions and would include:
- Alerts of a PSPS watch
- A PSPS warning
- A shutoff is imminent
- Outage begins
- Updates will be announced as the situation evolves
- Power will be restored
- Monitoring of conditions
“We’ll give as much lead time on announcing a shutoff as we can,” he said. “If it is needed, we will monitor the potentially extreme weather event and follow the steps, contacting affected residents and municipalities through direct phone calls, social media announcements, media alerts, website announcements, the Alertable app and others we are considering, knowing not everyone has access to the same kinds of communication.”
On fears it would last a full 72 hours, Toft said that’s not entirely true. A shutoff would occur for as much time as needed, stressing again the aim is to have power off for as little time as possible to protect residents’ safety and homes and municipalities’ assets.
Pointing to the example of the wind storm last summer that toppled trees along Highway 33 south of Beaverdell and in Westbridge, Toft said emergency crews were able to clear the highway and get stranded motorists out in less than 24 hours.
Some of the questions asked were on how FortisBC was working to prevent fires in its infrastructure. One was how much work was being done to clear vegetation from minor power right-of-ways to reduce fuel sources. Toft said crews have been working to cut “thousands” of trees and other vegetation to clear the right-of-ways.
On the turnout, which saw at any given time around 30 people in the centre, Toft said he was pleased to see people come out and ask questions, adding many of them were good and this was going to be helpful as FortisBC moves ahead with the final details of the plan.
Due to the initial confusion, naturally, some of the feedback was mixed. Midway Mayor Doug McMynn was among the local government representatives who came to talk and meet again with the corporation's officials. While somewhat relieved to be hearing about this being an extreme last resort, he voiced his disappointment in how the initial information rollout was handled.
But he gave some insight on why he thinks the policy is being implemented.
“I come from an insurance background and I know a lot of this is about liability as much as it is about public safety,” he said. “The California wildfires have a lot to do with this. There’s a lot of liability coming out of those fires against the power companies.”
McMynn had a meeting with FortisBC representatives in Midway on June 9, where he said he grilled them on several issues. One concern he had from that meeting was the unclear communication system they had, but he was told later they are working on a more broad-reaching system. Other concerns were over what the village and regional district could have access to, such as short-term generators to keep power on for essential services.
Another was on what prevention measures the corporation was taking to protect its power lines, to which he suggested things like spreading gravel below the poles and spraying fire retardant in the event a fire does sweep through the area.
One of the MLAs who led the charge to have the plan reviewed was also in attendance. Donegal Wilson, MLA for Boundary-Similkameen, said she came to the open house with RDKB Area E-West Boundary Director Sharen Gibbs to also gain insight and speak to residents and FortisBC representatives on this. Both were attending the Keeping it Rural Conference in Kelowna.
Wilson said her constituents made it clear they wanted action on this, so she and several other ministers pressed FortisBC and the province.
“We had a strong push for our communities to have a say on this plan and for Fortis to have a communications plan and the energy minister to have this reviewed,” she said. “I asked them to go look for an example of when they may have needed to use this, even back three years. They needed to go back 10 years. This meeting is a good start, but we need more of them. So far, I believe they are listening to our concerns in the region and I hope that translates to their policy.”
