During high wind days, red flag warnings and other elevated fire risk conditions, CORE implements more sensitive circuit protection settings, or Alternate Relay Settings (ARS), to mitigate wildfire risk.
How it works
During normal conditions, if a fault — like an object striking a power line — is detected, the system takes longer to trip and will attempt to re-energize multiple times. This means fewer outages for members, with only blinks rather than an outage.
When Alternate Relay Settings are engaged, a fault will shut off power to the line in less than a second. This helps reduce the risk of fuel ignition. CORE crews then patrol the de-energized circuit to find and fix the cause and ensure safety before they re-energize the line.
These protocols help mitigate the risk of ignition, but can cause longer outages.
What to expect
Alternate Relay Settings are engaged only when fire danger is very high. CORE uses a variety of tools to determine these risk factors.
Alternate Relay Settings are also typically activated at the operating district level. You can use the interactive map below to identify your service location’s operating district.
Any outages during Alternate Relay Settings are unplanned. We encourage members to stay mindful of elevated risk conditions, be prepared in case of a power outage, and visit the online Outage Center to report outages and sign up for outage text alerts.
We understand how disruptive a power outage can be. We appreciate your understanding as we work to keep our communities safe. Visit our Wildfire Mitigation hub to learn more about all the ways CORE works to mitigate wildfire risk.