Background
Extreme weather events in California are causing unprecedented and unanticipated wildfires. In an effort to reduce wildfire risks, power companies throughout California have implemented various Community Wildfire Safety Programs. Power companies are refining and executing protocols to proactively turn off electric power where extreme fire conditions are occurring in high fire-threat areas. The power could be shutoff for up to five days before the system is checked for safety and restarted.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) worked with CAL FIRE and other utility and public-safety experts to develop a map of high fire-threat areas. The fire-threat area map is available at the CPUC Fire Safety Rulemaking Background website.
Notifications of Public Safety Power Shutoffs
CDPH highly recommends facilities register for outage alerts with the local power company. Please refer to your local power company's website for instructions on how to register for outage alerts.
Unusual Occurrence Reporting
CDPH considers any power outage related to a planned PSPS event as an unusual occurrence, reportable under Title 22 California Code of Regulations. Please follow the following guidelines for reporting such occurrences:
| If ā¦ | Then ā¦ |
During normal business hours
(8:00 a.m. ā 5:00 p.m.) | Contact the local L&C DO you customarily work with for your geographic location. |
| After-hours or if the local L&C DO is non-operational due to an emergency and/or disaster ā | For facilities outside Los Angeles County, contact the CDPH duty officer at (916) 328-3605. |
| For facilities in Los Angeles County, contact the Los Angeles County Operator at (213) 974-1234. Ask that they notify the on-call Health Facilities Inspection Division supervisor. |
In addition to contacting the DO, please notify your local MHOAC per the local notification protocols. Refer to the "Medical Health Operational Area Coordination (MHOAC) Program Contact Information" (PDF) for a listing of coordinators.
What to Report
Facilities must have contingency plans in place to deal with the loss of power. Please report the following details:
- Power is out due to the PSPS
- Generator is functioning and the number of days/supply of fuel currently available, and/or plans for obtaining more fuel or evacuating if necessary
- Any impact on patients
- Any resource needs
Helpful Links and Resources
If you have any questions about this AFL, please contact your respective L&C DO.
Sincerely,
Original signed by Scott Vivona
Scott Vivona
Assistant Deputy Director