FortisBC's wildfire prevention plan to cut power in B.C. Interior during extreme heat suspended
Community concerns cause FortisBC to hit pause on power outage plan
The B.C. Utilities Commission has temporarily quashed a FortisBC plan to cut power to some customers in the southern Interior during extreme heat and wind events after a complaint from the Town of Princeton.
The commission has suspended FortisBC's new "public safety power shutoff" policy, which Fortis described as a precautionary measure in which it would shut off the power in high-risk fire regions during extreme weather conditions.
Fortis said the outages would prevent trees or other vegetation from catching fire when they come into contact with power lines.
The BCUC decision comes as a result of complaints from the Town of Princeton that the outages would negatively affect the community.
LISTEN | Spencer Coyne, mayor of Princeton, expresses concerns about the public safety power shutoff plan
Princeton Mayor Spencer Coyne told The Early Edition earlier this week that when he first heard of the Fortis plan, he thought, "What the heck is this?"
"The more I looked into it, the more concerned I became," he added.
Coyne said an outage could result in a "mass evacuation of the valley."
"We'd have to evacuate both hospitals, the one in Princeton and in Keremeos. We'd have to evacuate our care facilities; we'd have to evacuate anybody with high risk."
Gary Toft, senior adviser for corporate communications at FortisBC, said electricity utilities across North America have been adopting power shutoffs as a precautionary measure.
"It's a tool of last resort we only use during extreme weather events."
The outages would only be used in situations with very high winds, high heat, low humidity and tinder-dry vegetation.
But Coyne said that kind of situation, a very hot, windy day with low humidity, could be just another day in Princeton.
"That's the Silmilkameen Valley for most of August."
He expressed concerns for local businesses that might have to spend thousands of dollars to bring in generators to keep their refrigerators running.
"That's not acceptable either."
The utilities commission will review Fortis's public safety power shutoff policy.
Fortis has postponed scheduled community open houses to early June as a result.
"While the PSPS [public safety power shutoff] policy remains an integral part of our approach to wildfire safety, we recognize the importance of getting it right," Fortis said in a statement published online.
"That means taking more time to engage with the communities that could be most affected and listening to their feedback."
The Early Edition