Top questions about our wildfire safety practices 

In recent years, we have seen greater wildfire activity and more extreme weather events in British Columbia, including in our electricity service area. We’re introducing a PSPS policy in response to escalating effects of extreme weather, recent devastating wildfire activity and evolving industry practices to prevent risk of wildfire.

We work year-round to protect our customers and the communities we serve from the risk of wildfire. We know that losing power is disruptive, and we don’t take the decision to implement a PSPS lightly. That’s why we invest in extensive wildfire prevention measures to reduce risks before considering turning off power. We have policies and practices in place to safeguard communities and infrastructure.

PSPS is a last-resort action taken only when extreme wildfire conditions pose an imminent threat to communities. Before considering a PSPS, we take extensive preventive measures, including:

• Design and construction: We regularly upgrade equipment and structures to strengthen our system and reduce wildfire risk.
• Inspection and maintenance: Vegetation management and inspections help maintain safe operations and reduce contact between infrastructure and vegetation.
• Wildfire preparedness training: Our field employees receive specialized training to ensure they can safely respond to wildfire threats near our infrastructure.
• Wildfire risk monitoring: Our teams use interactive tools to help assess wildfire risks around our electricity infrastructure, improving decision-making and response readiness.
• Power line safety settings: When wildfire risk is high, we turn on enhanced safety settings to help reduce the risk of wildfires. For example, we adjust the sensitivity of our equipment so when a problem is detected on a power line, the system will turn off power faster than our standard setting. Rather than our system trying to restart the power line automatically, we will instead send out a technician to manually inspect the line to make sure it is safe to restore power.
• Active wildfire preparedness and response: During active wildfires, FortisBC may shut off power in consultation with local fire authorities, to support firefighting efforts. We work with local fire authorities to maintain power to critical infrastructure such as water delivery systems where possible. We may also apply fire suppressant and fire blankets to protect our equipment.
• Public Safety Power Shutoff: Public Safety Power Shutoff is a new initiative that would see us shutoff power to limited sections of our system during periods of extreme wildfire risk to reduce potential ignition sources. A PSPS event is tool of last resort that we anticipate would be used rarely.

Keeping the power on for our customers is always our priority. However, when wildfire risk is extreme, we will carefully consider a number of factors to decide whether to implement a PSPS event to reduce potential ignition sources and would only take this step if absolutely necessary to ensure the safety of the communities we serve.

The decision to implement a PSPS event will be made based on a careful monitoring of fire risk conditions that include a Fire Weather Index of 47 or more and sustained wind speeds over 75 kilometres per hour.

Our goal is to send notifications to customers before, during, and after a PSPS event. We'll aim to provide advance notice 72 hours before a potential PSPS event, when possible, and will continue to keep customers informed throughout the event. We’ll provide updates throughout the outage by email, alerts on our homepage, on social media and via Alertable and work with local emergency officials to share information.

It’s becoming industry standard for utilities to have a PSPS policy. In Alberta, FortisAlberta and AltaLink have introduced PSPS to their customers.

Several electric utilities across the Pacific North West have introduced PSPS policies. In Washington State and Oregon this includes Puget Sound Energy, Pacific Power, Chelan County Public Utility District, and Avista. Areas covered by these utilities include communities directly south of the border.

In B.C., we have seen greater wildfire activity and more extreme weather events, and we continue to evolve our wildfire safety practices to address these risks. PSPS is the next step in our wildfire safety practices to help keep you and your community safe.

Our primary focus is to keep the power on and support the communities we serve, particularly during extreme weather events like heat waves, when electricity is critical for public health and safety. We understand the vital role electricity plays in protecting vulnerable populations, including seniors, individuals with medical conditions, and critical infrastructure.

Safety remains our top priority. We work closely with emergency and health authorities, as well as community organizations, to assess risks and provide support where possible. When fire risk conditions require us to consider a PSPS event, we do not make that decision lightly. Every action is based on careful monitoring of fire risks, alongside many other factors—including input from public safety partners and potential impacts on public health.

If you or your family depend on power for medical needs, please reach out to our customer service team at 1-866-436-7847 to register as a vulnerable customer. In the event of a PSPS event in your area, we will contact you directly by phone and provide additional advance notice, where possible. You can also add a second person you want us to contact, in addition to yourself, in the event we need to shut off your power.

While our electricity system is safe and reliable, power outages can happen at any time for a variety of reasons such as storms, maintenance or wildfires. Being prepared is key to keeping yourself and your family safe. We encourage everyone to have an emergency plan and enough supplies to sustain themselves for a minimum of 72 hours. This includes essentials like food, water, medications, backup power sources and a way to stay informed.