Arizona Public Service (APS) is taking proactive measures to prevent wildfires by introducing new fire prevention technology this year. The company serves 1.4 million households and businesses with 38,000 miles of power lines, making safety a top priority.
APS has installed weather stations and cameras on some of its power poles to track weather conditions that could potentially fuel a fire before or after it sparks. They currently have 55 weather stations and about 35 cameras across the state, with plans to install more in the future.
All the information collected by these stations and cameras is fed back into APS’s system, providing real-time fire conditions and helping the company make decisions on Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) if necessary. A PSPS is implemented to prevent powerlines or the electric system from starting a wildfire, particularly during extreme fire conditions such as high winds.
While no PSPS has been called so far this year, APS is ensuring that they have the technology and data needed to make informed decisions to keep communities safe. The company uses precautionary measures and fire tracking technology to minimize the impact on customers, particularly in rural areas of the High Country.
Customers are encouraged to update their contact information on the APS website to stay informed about power outages or PSPS in their area. By utilizing this new technology, APS is working to reduce the risk of wildfires and increase customer reliability.
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