Reports of wildfires in the United States might strike you as yet another sad story in the news or a terrifyingly real threat to your home and family. It depends on where you live.
Electric cooperatives also react to wildfires based on geography, with one huge difference — they need to protect a far-flung electrical system that keeps your lights on, and at the same time, watch out for the safety of the crews that keep that system running.
Whether it’s rigid requirements for utilities near forestlands or more routine attention to disaster plans on the prairies and farmlands, electric co-ops are tailoring their wildfire mitigation plans to protect their local power distribution systems. If there’s one common theme for the more than 800 electric co-ops across 48 states, it’s that wildfires are not a “one-size fits all” proposition.
Out-of-control campfires
Every year, wildfires kill dozens of Americans — residents as well as firefighters. Sometimes they’re ignited by lightning strikes, but humans start most of them. Leading causes include campfires and burning debris getting out of control, malfunctioning equipment, smoking and arson. One study found that the most common day for human-caused fires to start was the Fourth of July.
About 70,000 wildfires burn in the U.S. each year, a number that’s actually been trending downward in recent years according to the National Interagency Fire Center. But their intensity and damage has jumped dramatically. About 7 million acres burn each year, more than double the number in the 1990s. The costs for the federal government to fight fires has risen from an annual of just over $400 million 30 years ago to more than $1.5 billion today. Estimates of total wildfire damage is reaching $20 billion a year.
Warmer and drier weather is often cited for the increased fierceness of the fires. Another factor raising the stakes is something called the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) — areas where homes and other development sit next to unoccupied land. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security reports 46 million residences in 70,000 communities are at risk of fire in WUI areas, which are growing by 2 million acres a year.
Co-ops and other electric utilities pay special attention to wildfire threats because a key to controlling the flames is already a priority for them — keeping the rights of way near power lines clear of trees, brush and other fire fuel.
Falling power lines and other utility-related events are also among the causes of wildfires. In response, some utility planning includes strengthening poles, and even shutting off power to some areas during times of extremely high fire risk.
Electric co-ops also are calling for public policy changes, like standardizing access to different types of land, both government and private, to make it easier for brush-clearing and other fire control measures. Even changes in insurance coverage are being proposed — as wildfire costs increase, there will be more questions about who pays for wildfire control.
Geography plays a huge part in co-op wildfire prevention. In the east, wildfire measures are typically part of the electric co-ops’ overall crisis planning, with special emphasis on alerts and preparations during times of high fire risk.
In the West, many states require utilities to have a detailed wildfire mitigation plan. These documents can run to nearly 100 pages of organization charts of co-op staff and outside agencies, adding technology like drones to patrol power lines and algorithms to determine at-risk poles, and workforce training programs.
As wildfire threats have increased, so have electric co-op preparations. You can even help by keeping areas around power lines clear and by supporting co-op tree-trimming work. And with the Fourth of July approaching, a day that sees twice the number of wildfires, make sure you have a safe and happy Independence Day.
Paul Wesslund writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the National RuralElectric Cooperative Association, the national trade association representing more than 900 local electric cooperatives. From growing suburbs to remote farming communities, electric co-ops serve as engines of economic development for 42 million Americans across 56% of the nation’s landscape.