FortisBC advises customers to prepare for possible power outages as wildfire season draws near

Apr 30, 2025

With community safety top of mind, FortisBC is taking extra precautions during wildfire season

KELOWNA, B.C.—April 30, 2025: With the arrival of wildfire season, FortisBC Inc. (FortisBC) is encouraging its electricity customers to be prepared for possible outages during the Southern Interior’s hottest months­­. That’s when FortisBC puts important safety practices into place, some of which could result in power outages, to reduce potential wildfire risks and help protect communities and its electricity system against wildfires.

“We’ve all likely witnessed, and in some cases been personally impacted by, the devastation of wildfires,” said Shawn Conway, FortisBC’s director of operations, electric generation, transmission distribution and Interior South gas. “With the safety of the public and our employees our top priority, we take the risk of wildfires very seriously and take precautions that could result in our customers experiencing more frequent or longer than typical power outages.”

FortisBC works year-round to protect the public and the electricity system from the risk of wildfire, performing annual condition assessments, making line patrols, clearing trees and other vegetation from its rights-of-way as well as applying fire retardant to poles and other equipment.

During wildfire season, FortisBC adds additional measures to reduce potential risks, including measures that could result in power outages. For example, throughout wildfire season FortisBC turns on power line safety settings that increase the sensitivity of its electricity equipment. Situations where it may be unnoticed for a period of time, for example, debris coming into contact with a line during a windstorm, could trigger an outage as a safety precaution. The power may also be off longer than usual as crews manually inspect the line for safety before restoring power. An active wildfire can also result in an outage―crews may shut off power in consultation with local fire authorities to support firefighting activities. Once the fire has passed, crews will inspect equipment for damage, make repairs and restore customers’ power.

With its electricity service region experiencing more extreme weather conditions, FortisBC is further enhancing its wildfire safety practices by introducing a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) policy. Now becoming increasingly common among electricity utilities across North America, PSPS is a new precautionary measure where electricity is shut off proactively in selected areas in advance of extreme weather to reduce potential ignition sources.

While customers should always be prepared to be without electricity for at least 72 hours, this is especially important during wildfire season.

“We know all our customers have different needs, whether they are a resident, running a business or both. We recommend that they think through how they’re using electricity and create an emergency plan to ensure they can manage safely during a period without service,” said Conway. “For example, have a backup plan for medical needs, staying cool, food storage, transportation, business continuity and even staying in touch during an emergency.”

To help communities prepare for a PSPS event, FortisBC will work closely with local emergency officials and attempt to provide as much advance warning as possible of a PSPS event and updates throughout a PSPS event to help keep people informed. Customers can sign up online to receive email notices and call to register as a vulnerable customer, should they depend on power for medical needs. Weather conditions can change quickly, and while FortisBC will always strive to provide as much notice as possible of a PSPS event, a PSPS event may occur with little to no notice.

To learn more about FortisBC’s wildfire safety practices, how to prepare for outages and to sign up for notice about PSPS events in your area, visit fortisbc.com/wildfiresafety.

 

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