That is a natural response, and much the same as everyone's willingness to do without power temporarily to protect the safety of linemen working on the power lines. But you should not have to make that choice, and people who suffer as a result of losing their power should not be required to bear that burden either. It is surely within the technical ability of our nation to safely provide power when it is windy. Utilities all over the world manage to do just that on a daily basis.
Maybe some brush cutting and tree trimming is needed, or wider power line right of ways, or a network of downed line and fire sensors located along power lines. And maybe the utility needs to pay its customers for every hour they are without power, and for the damages from any fires their equipment starts. Or they can hire local fire wardens, or spend the money to install underground transmission lines, or localized power sources.
I am sure the power companies can do what they used to do to prevent fires, and the state can do what they used to do to prevent and fight fires. They just need the appropriate motivation.
Thanks for your kind response.
You are correct concerning everything you said. A lot of the problem has to do with the rules here.
If you go to Florida, South Carolina, New Hampshire, you will see a wide swath cleared for most of the power lines. That doesn’t happen here. In many places, you will see the power lines strung through what essentially is a tunnel of tree branches. I think the rule says 6 foot clearance all the way around. It is insufficient and if anything falls from above it will short.
They do have amazing breakers now that trip very easily, but even the best system will cast sparks. The night our fire ignited, the tree let go with an 80 MPH wind in less than 5% RH. Things ignite pretty easy in that.
PG&E, the power company, has had to have an armed presence to trim trees here because people do not want them cut or trimmed for any reason. They advocate for burying the power lines, but cost estimates are $3-$5 million a mile for that. Also, PG&E isn’t tunneling under trees to lay line. They would likely have to tear up every road in the state to lay line. Also, earthquake damage would put power out for months on a buried line versus an overhead.
After our fire, I was in Lafayette, CA and there were people petitioning to prevent the trimming of trees. It is an area prone to bad fires, just a little east of where the Oakland Hills fire occurred. The roads are narrow and congested. A fire there will be devastating as it will be difficult for people to get out and equipment to get in.
As stated, the company is forced to spend on things not directly related to distribution. They can immediately tell you how many of a particular race or sex they employee but cannot state how much of the system is in need of repair or upgrade.
I was on the Dixie Fire in the Plumas National Forest. The road system, power stations, power lines, and railroad systems through there are absolutely stunning; just incredible engineering feats. None of this is as easy as people think.
My view on the fires is skewed because we had a big, bad fast one literally in out backyard, the Nuns Fire. I also run a contract dozer on fires for Cal Fire. The fires themselves usually do not scare me too much. Some of the terrain scares the heck out of me. On the wrong terrain with a big fire it could be terrifying. I have seen a lot of people completely lose it in the face of these fires, my granddaughter being one the night of the Nuns. I simply would not wish it on anyone, not even a bad person.
We tend to look at things through the narrow focus of our lens of experience. I understand people with medical needs or otherwise infirmed that need power but I also know that those people are not fleeing quickly in the face of a conflagration.
Thanks.