Southern California Edison uses drones to inspect powerlines in high risk fire areas

MOUNT BALDY, Calif. (KABC) — The current Atmospheric Rivers that introduced a lot rain to Southern California have turned the mountains and hillsides into lush verdant greenery, however when these Santa Ana winds begin blowing, it might grow to be a wildfire risk.

That is why Southern California Edison is being proactive by inspecting its energy traces in these excessive threat fireplace areas.

In 2018, fireplace investigators discovered SCE was at fault for the Woolsey Hearth that tore via elements of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

SCE began its drone program in 2019 and stated crews have been in a position to cut back the danger of a wildfire by 75% to 80%. It makes use of its drones to examine energy poles and energy traces.

“We’re searching for damaged insulators or cotter keys and pins, these are the issues that maintain our {hardware} in place,” stated SCE Director of Inspections Kathy Hidalgo. “We’re searching for something that will injury or spark an ignition so we are able to ship our drones into areas that we’d not wish to ship our crews into, some fairly hazardous areas, some distant areas.”

SCE additionally modified the overhead electrical conductor on the ability poles itself with coated wire to guard it from their largest concern: a overseas object encountering a dwell energy line.

“Consider balloons, consider animals or vegetation. It has three layers and its sturdy so when factor come into contact, it does not trigger any faults or ignitions,” stated SCE Director of Transmission Raj Roy.

SCE stated even after all of the rain this winter and spring, there’s nonetheless a wildfire threat with new vegetation that might catch fireplace because the climate dries out.

“As soon as the vegetation dries out, which can probably be by late summer season and into the autumn, however when our Santa Ana winds return, that is when we will be actually involved about all this additional vegetation,” stated SCE fireplace scientist Tom Rolinski.