Reducing wildfire risk is increasingly important for utilities as extreme weather becomes more frequent. To address this growing challenge, MidAmerican Energy has plans in place to protect electric facilities and keep our communities safe.

 

The best way to protect our customers and infrastructure from wildfires is to prevent them from starting in the first place. Our preventive efforts include:

 

Strengthening our systems

We work continuously to strengthen our systems and equipment to reduce fire risk. This includes replacing aging utility poles and installing more non-wood utility poles in high-risk areas. In some areas, we’re burying overhead electric lines underground to protect them from wildfire exposure and other severe weather hazards. Plus, we’ve increased our tree pruning efforts to limit the spread of potential fires and protect the public.

 

Operating with caution

Whenever there’s an elevated fire risk, including during Red Flag warnings issued by the National Weather Service, we operate our systems more conservatively to help prevent field fires and brush fires caused by utility equipment.

 

Adapting field practices

On Red Flag warning days and when the fire danger is extreme, we take additional steps to protect our people, systems and the public. We pause non-critical work in areas of risk where there are dry fuel sources, like grass or crops. When critical work must continue, our field personnel take extra precautions to prevent ignitions. Before restoring service during an outage, we also inspect our facilities to confirm everything is safe before re-energizing power lines.

 

De-energizing power lines in an emergency

During extreme or critical wildfire risk conditions or if a fire threatens nearby MidAmerican facilities, we may proactively de-energize electric lines to reduce the risk of a wildfire starting.

 

What you can do

Preventing wildfires takes all of us. Taking a few simple steps can help protect your community.

• Avoid burning on days when there are strong winds and low humidity.
• Be careful with fires and sparks. Never leave campfires, grills or burning debris unattended. Fully extinguish fires before leaving.
• Avoid parking your vehicle on dry grass, and use extra caution when driving over grass or other vegetation.
• Dispose of cigarettes properly. Never toss cigarette butts on the ground or out of a vehicle.
• Report hazards quickly. Call 911 if you see smoke or flames, and call our electrical emergency number at 800-799-4443 if you see a downed power line.