Manager’s Message – October 2023
Fire Season Recap
Wasco Electric Cooperative was busy during the wildfire season that started with the Mile Post 87 Fire along Interstate 84 on June 14 and continued through September.
In June, we tracked or responded to 2 fires, followed by 10 in July, 2 in August and 5 in September, as of September 21.
Electric utilities respond to fires to ensure the safety of the firefighters and the public. This work may entail turning off the electricity around the fire due to damaged poles and wires. After a fire has moved through an area, we inspect the poles to determine what may need to be replaced or when a line can be turned back on.
Wasco Electric members play a vital role in firefighting by volunteering with local fire departments; investing in water tanks, pumps and hoses on personal vehicles; providing water tenders and tractors with discs or bulldozers to create a fire break; and responding at a moment’s notice to fires in their local communities.
The addition of firefighting aircraft stationed at Dallesport Airport can provide a quick hit to wildfires and curtail the growth of a fire. Additional air support can come from Redmond, Tri-Cities and Moses Lake with large air tankers that can deliver 2,000 to 8,000 gallons of fire retardant.
Employees monitor the day-to-day conditions from the National Weather Service, United States Forest Service Mt. Hood District and Oregon Department of Forestry. The Wildland Fire Assessment System keeps us aware of red flag warnings, fire weather watches, risks of thunderstorms, wind advisories, heat warnings, industry fire protection levels, fire danger ratings and fire danger conditions.
This information helps WEC decide on operations for the upcoming days, weeks and months. Preparations include limiting off-road work, tree trimming in vulnerable areas, having a vehicle with a water tank and pump near work areas and setting distribution electronic protective devices to non-reclose.
The non-reclose function prevents a circuit breaker from closing into a fault that may cause additional arcing and sparking. When a circuit opens from this condition, our crews patrol the lines to try to identify and clear the problem before the line can be turned back on.
This scenario happened twice this year with no fires started from these disturbances. The vulnerable circuits with this capability have been in this condition since the end of June due to dry, hot conditions.
An outage can occur at any time, not just during wildfire season or extreme weather. It is an important reminder for members to:
- Plan ahead and be prepared year-round.
- Create a plan with your medical provider for appropriate backup power if you have medical devices in your house that rely on electricity.
- Update your contact information with WEC, including a cellphone number or email address. We use this information to contact you about planned outages or to provide updates.
- Monitor the Wasco Electric website and the Wasco Electric Facebook page and the Wasco Electric Instagram account for outage-related updates.
Interim General Manager
Paul Titus