Safety
Wildfire Mitigation Plan
Wildfire Mitigation Plan
Wildfires are now a year-round threat for California communities like Big Bear. As a community in a designated “High-Fire Threat District,” Bear Valley Electric Service, Inc. (BVES) has plans in place and is prepared to help protect customers and the community from the risk of wildfires.
BVES submitted an updated Wildfire Mitigation Plan (WMP) to the state of California to adhere to legislation requiring that all electric utilities file a plan outlining current and intended wildfire mitigation efforts. Customers can find the detailed WMP online. The following are among many enhanced safety measures outlined in our plan:
Equipment Upgrades
Weather Stations: 19 Weather Stations added to monitor weather patterns and collect real-time data.
Tree Attachment Removal: Removing vulnerable pieces of electrical infrastructure.
System Wide Grid Automation and Upgrades: BVES is automating its grid to expedite the detection and isolation of system faults.
Vegetation Management And Inspections
Increased Minimum Clearance Zone: BVES is cutting back trees and limbs to a minimum radial clearance of 72 inches between bare conductors and vegetation.
Suspect Tree Removal Program: BVES will continue to remove trees that are dead or rotting and could potentially fall on power lines.
Public Safety Power Shutoff
In an effort to protect Big Bear Valley from risk of a catastrophic fire, BVES may elect to implement a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) when extreme conditions present a clear and imminent danger to public safety. BVES has permission from the State of California to proactively shut off power in high-risk areas during extreme weather conditions. BVES will conduct customer outreach for the following time periods: 2-3 day notice, 1-2 day notice, De-energization Imminent notice, De-energization notice, Intent to restore and Restoration complete. Several factors are taken into consideration when implementing a PSPS:
Red Flag Warning issued by the National Weather Service
Low Humidity Levels
High Winds and Wind Gusts
Dry Vegetation
BVES Real-Time Weather Readings
Ways that BVES will notify the public of a PSPS event
Updates will be posted on BVES’s website and Facebook page.
BVES will use two-way emergency text communication and its Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems, which allows customers with phone numbers on file to receive important messages from the utility.
Local news outlets will be informed of a wildfire or PSPS event.
Tips from BVES to make a PSPS or wildfire event less stressful
Add BVES’s 1-800-808-2837 number to your phone as a contact, so when BVES calls or texts it does not come up as spam.
Update phone numbers linked to your BVES account in order to receive calls and texts from BVES.
Sign up for BVES’s E-news to receive emails with up-to-date information and the bi-annual newsletters. The link is located at the bottom of www.BVESinc.com.
Have an emergency evacuation plan and a disaster supply kit ready.
Follow BVES on Facebook @BearValleyElectricServiceInc
Two-Way Emergency Text Communication
When you receive an emergency text message from BVES, you may communicate back to the utility in the following ways using your phone:
Text to 1-800-808-2837.
Text “BVES” to opt-in for two-way emergency text communication.
Text “QUIT” to opt-out of the two-way emergency text communication.
Text “OUT” to report an outage.
Text “HELP” for more information.
Text “STATUS” for outage updates (when one is occurring).