Wildfire Season Recap Summit

January 20, 2022 | , and Online ::

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“The caliber of guest speakers and their presentations is unrivaled. Details of historical, present, and future strategies and technologies employed were covered, including deep dives into forecasting modeling. This course is a must for individuals in the utility industry to keep up with wildfire mitigation strategies!” Electrical Engineer, California Department of Water Resources

“Excellent and interesting presentation well worth participating in with knowledgeable presenters.” General Counsel, BPL

“This webinar flowed nicely with timely information.”  Water Quality Resource Conservationist, Idaho Soil and Water Conservation Commission

Of the top 20 largest wildfires since 1932, 17 have occurred since 2000; 11 since 2016; five in 2020 — and three from this year. Fires are bigger and more common than they were 35 years ago, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Electrical companies operating in wildfire-prone areas will face significant risks. Utilities must take additional measures to reduce exposure and mitigate financial liability.

The Wildfire Season Recap Summit brings together utility leaders and wildfire subject matter experts to discuss the record-breaking 2021 fire season. Register now for this unique event to hear lessons learned, the latest data collected, and best practices for wildfire mitigation in the utility setting. You’ll also learn how innovative techniques are working in the changing wildfire landscape.

Learning Outcomes

This online conference will provide attendees an opportunity to:

• Assess the latest statistics and data on the 2021 Wildfire Season
• Demonstrate best practices on how to revise wildfire mitigation plans based on lessons learned from the latest wildfire season
• Discuss strategies for grid hardening, situational awareness, & vegetation management
• Identify lessons learned from case studies of recent wildfires
• Explore new and traditional ways of forecasting and planning for wildfire risk
• Recognize pros and cons of PSPS (Public Safety Power Shut-Off) events and how COVID-19 has affected these events
• Demonstrate how to be proactive in wildfire planning and prevention

Thursday, January 20, 2022 : Pacific Time

 

9:00 – 9:05 a.m. :: Welcome Remarks

9:05 – 10:15 a.m. :: 2021 Wildfire Statistics

Wildfire indices suggest the potential for more frequent and severe fires across the U.S. It is imperative for utilities to develop an action plan for increasing fire threats and to ensure efforts are building toward increased resiliency. This session will detail 2021 fire weather data.

Clint Cross, Assistant Director, Landscapes & Partnerships, USDA Forest Service, WO Fire and Aviation

10:15 – 10:30 a.m. :: Morning Break

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. :: Wildfire Utility Operations & Practices

This session will cover the programs and plans that proved most effective and the barriers utilities faced in their efforts.

Matthew Pender, Sr. Director, Major Programs and Project Delivery, PG&E

Brian Long, Director of System Sustainability, Xcel Energy

Raymond Fugere, Principal Manager, Asset Assessments & Data Strategy, Southern California Edison

12:00 – 1:00 p.m. :: Lunch Break

1:00 – 1:45 p.m. :: Case Study: Wildfire Risk and Grid Resilience

Utilities in fire-prone regions are working to minimize risk of infrastructure causing catastrophic events. This session will cover integration efforts in operations, situational awareness, and customer outreach as implemented by SDG&E, and the outcomes of these efforts in the 2021 fire season.

Mark Mezta, Manager of Wildfire Resilience and Operations, San Diego Gas & Electric

1:45 – 2:30 p.m. :: Situational Awareness

• Weather, wildfire risk and environmental conditions awareness
• Asset condition, grid operations, abnormal condition, & fast response awareness

This session will give an overview of technologies that are performing well in the field and best practices for situational awareness in weather, assets, grid operations and more for 2022.

Tom Rolinksi, Fire Scientist, Southern California Edison

Cody Watson, Fire Chief, Newhalem-Diablo Fire Brigade, Seattle City Light

2:30 – 2:45 p.m. :: Afternoon Break

2:45 – 4:00 p.m. :: Technological Enhancements and Tools for Utilities

This session will be a showcase featuring a series of presentations and/or case studies spotlighting the latest tech and tools available for utilities that can aid in forecasting, communication, operational decision-making, and modeling fire behavior for the next fire season.

Brittany Black, Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Business Development, Erickson

Jon McLaughlin, VP of Strategic Development & Director, Interra

Brittany and Jon will provide a case study showcasing the advantages of integrated date analytics with aerial operations to better predict, mitigate and monitor personnel and resources

Brian Trager, Director of Technology, Hendrix

Brian will briefly review several tools which can be used as wildfire mitigation strategies for overhead power lines, including covered conductor (in both tree wire as well as spacer cable configurations), FR (flame retardant) insulators, and interphase spacers (for use on bare wire lines). While some, if not all of these strategies are being adopted by utilities in the high risk fire zones, technological advances are making them ever more viable and adaptable.

4:00 – 5:00 p.m. :: Public Safety Power Shut Offs (PSPS)

This session details the process and consideration of facilitating a PSPS and reviews the impact of 2021 Public Safety Power Shutoffs and any lessons learned.

Mark Quinlan, VP, PSPS Operations & Execution, PG&E

5:00 p.m. :: Review and Open Discussion of the 2021 Fire Season

Summit Adjourns

• Brittany Black, Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Business Development, Erickson

• Clint Cross, Assistant Director, Landscapes & Partnerships, USDA Forest Service, WO Fire and Aviation

• Brian Long, Director of System Sustainability, Xcel Energy

• Jon McLaughlin, VP of Strategic Development & Director, Interra

• Mark Mezta, Manager of Wildfire Resilience and Operations, San Diego Gas & Electric

• Matthew Pender, Sr. Director, Major Programs and Project Delivery, PG&E

• Joe Scott, Principal Wildfire Analyst, Pyrologix

• Mark Quinlan, VP, PSPS Operations & Execution, PG&E

• Tom Rolinksi, Fire Scientist, Southern California Edison

• Raymond Fugere, Principal Manager, Asset Assessments & Data Strategy, Southern California Edison

• Richard Stratton, Fire Analyst, United States Forest Service

• Brian Trager, Director of Technology, Hendrix

• Cody Watson, Fire Chief, Newhalem-Diablo Fire Brigade, Seattle City Light

We will be using Microsoft Teams to facilitate your participation in the upcoming event. You do not need to have an existing Teams account in order to participate in the broadcast – the course will play in your browser and you will have the option of using a microphone to speak with the room and ask questions, or type any questions in via the chat window and our on-site representative will relay your question to the instructor.

• IMPORTANT NOTE: After November 30 you will not be able to join a Teams meeting using Internet Explorer 11. Microsoft recommends downloading and installing the Teams app if possible. You may also use the Edge browser or Chrome.
• You will receive a meeting invitation will include a link to join the meeting.
• Separate meeting invitations will be sent for the morning and afternoon sessions of the course.
  • You will need to join the appropriate meeting at the appropriate time.
• If you are using a microphone, please ensure that it is muted until such time as you need to ask a question.
• The remote meeting connection will be open approximately 30 minutes before the start of the course. We encourage you to connect as early as possible in case you experience any unforeseen problems.

Please Note: This event is being conducted entirely online. All attendees will connect and attend from their computer, one connection per purchase. For details please see our FAQ

If you are unable to attend at the scheduled date and time, we make recordings available to all attendees for 7 days after the event

REGISTER NOW FOR THIS EVENT:

Wildfire Season Recap Summit

January 20, 2022 | Online

Your registration may be transferred to a member of your organization up to 24 hours in advance of the event. Cancellations must be received on or before December 17, 2021 in order to be refunded and will be subject to a US $195.00 processing fee per registrant. No refunds will be made after this date. Cancellations received after this date will create a credit of the tuition (less processing fee) good toward any other EUCI event. This credit will be good for six months from the cancellation date. In the event of non-attendance, all registration fees will be forfeited. In case of conference cancellation, EUCIs liability is limited to refund of the event registration fee only. For more information regarding administrative policies, such as complaints and refunds, please contact our offices at 303-770-8800

Credits

EUCI is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and offers IACET CEUs for its learning events that comply with the ANSI/IACET Continuing Education and Training Standard. IACET is recognized internationally as a standard development organization and accrediting body that promotes quality of continuing education and training.

EUCI is authorized by IACET to offer 0.7 CEUs for this event.

Requirements for Successful Completion of Program

Participants must log in and be in attendance for the entirety of the conference to be eligible for continuing education credit.

Instructional Methods

Case Studies, Panel Discussions and PowerPoint presentations will be used in the program.

Who Should Attend

Individuals working in the following areas will benefit from attending this event:

• Electric Utility Leaders
• Utility Risk Management Professionals
• Utility Grid Planning and Operations Specialists
• Utility Transmission and Field Services Personnel
• State and Federal Agencies
• Mitigation Specialists
• Policy makers
• Researchers
• Corporate Communications Specialists
• Insurers
• Consultants
• Fire Prevention & Mitigation Technology Providers

Upon successful completion of this event, program participants interested in receiving CPE credits will receive a certificate of completion.

Course CPE Credits: 7.0
There is no prerequisite for this Course.

Program field of study: Specialized Knowledge
Program Level: Basic
Delivery Method: Group Internet Based
Advanced Preparation: None

EUCI is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its web site: www.nasbaregistry.org