KEC’s wildfire mitigation plan is updated regularly to reflect changing conditions and focuses on both preventing fires and protecting the electric system from wildfire impacts. Key efforts include ongoing vegetation management, hazardous tree removal, infrastructure inspections, and grid‑hardening projects—such as converting overhead lines to underground where appropriate.
KEC closely monitors weather conditions, including temperature, wind, humidity, and fuel moisture. As fire danger increases, system operations may change. For example, during elevated fire risk, automatic re‑energization of power lines may be disabled. This means some outages may last longer, as crews must inspect lines to confirm it is safe before restoring power.
During periods of critical fire weather, including red flag warnings, KEC stages crews throughout our service area to respond more quickly to outages, support first responders, and monitor conditions closely. In rare situations, KEC may also consider a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) to reduce wildfire risk. These decisions are not taken lightly and would only affect limited areas facing severe fire danger. Members would be notified whenever possible and kept informed throughout the event.
As conditions evolve throughout the season, our system operations will be updated accordingly using the stages shown in the graphic below. Members can learn more by visiting our website and are encouraged to follow KEC on social media for ongoing updates.
We know outages are inconvenient. While some proactive measures may temporarily affect service, they are taken to protect public safety and reduce wildfire risk. Our goal is always to keep outages as brief and limited as possible.
