LEWISTON, ID—Avista is responding to the hot, dry weather conditions by changing its operations to decrease the potential for wildfire across its Washington and Idaho service areas. The company held a phone town hall meeting this evening to discuss its shift to what it calls “fire safety mode,” which means it changes the system to turn off automatic re-energization when a fault occurs.
Avista’s line personnel will physically inspect an outage area before a line is placed back into service. This may mean customers experience longer outage times, but officials say it keeps everyone safer.
The company’s Vern Malensky explains their “Wildfire Resiliency Plan.”
New this year, Avista will implement a Public Safety Power Shutoff if warranted. A PSPS event is used only in extreme weather conditions. Avista will use this method to reduce the threat of wildfires in our communities.
Asotin County Fire District #1 Chief Noel Hardin discussed what people can do to prepare for and prevent wildfires.
Hardin says one of the best things homeowners can do is create a large defensible space around their property.
Avista is hosting additional town hall meetings on June 20th and 25th, and on July 2nd at 6:00 p.m. Register HERE for a Wildfire Telephone Town Hall Meeting.
