02 May
Safeguarding communities is at the heart of CORE Protect, CORE’s mitigation program. Parts of our nearly 5,000-square-mile service area are among the most wildfire-prone in the U.S., and CORE is committed to the safety of the members and communities we serve.
Our wildfire mitigation program includes:
Inspection programs
CORE conducts inspections of our overhead distribution and transmission systems — both from the ground and with the help of drone technology — to identify maintenance issues that pose risks to fire safety and reliability. All issues are prioritized and repaired according to their relative risk. Our wooden poles are professionally tested on a 12-year cycle to determine structural health and identify hazards so they can be replaced well before possible failure.
New technology
CORE uses the industry-leading Technosylva platform for weather-based risk forecasting. Its tools provide us daily wildfire risk forecasts four days out, which gives us the specific insight we need to stay ahead of potential wildfire threats. CORE has also invested in Pano AI camera stations that automatically detect smoke plumes, regardless of the cause, and send alerts to emergency responders for early detection.
Operational practices
During elevated fire risk conditions, CORE implements more sensitive circuit protection settings, which we call alternate relay settings (ARS). ARS react instantaneously to a fault — such as a tree on the line — and limit the line to one attempt to restore, which then cuts the power immediately if the fault is still present. Crews then patrol the deenergized circuit to find and fix the cause of the outage before we reenergize the line. ARS do not preemptively turn off any part of our system, but may create sustained outages instead of blinks.
Community outreach
We collaborate with local emergency management offices, fire departments and land management agencies to ensure CORE’s wildfire mitigation strategies are aligned with those of our communities. These partnerships facilitate efficient response and communication throughout the year.
To learn how you can help mitigate the risk of wildfire, or to report related issues, visit www.CORE.com > News and Resources > Wildfire Mitigation.