Protecting the Grid

How We Are Protecting the Grid

We work hard year-round to protect poles and other equipment from wildfire and reduce fire risk. Protecting the grid starts with installing high-quality equipment that meets or exceeds industry standards. We regularly inspect and maintain that equipment. We’re also investing in improvements to protect the grid and customers from wildfires.

Regular wildfire prevention work includes:

  • Replacing poles, conductors, and switches.
  • Double-checking equipment by ground and air to ensure there’s no damage.
  • Wrapping wood poles in high-risk areas with fire-resistant mesh to enhance resiliency.
  • Adding spark-prevention equipment and upgrading fuses to power lines in highest risk areas.
  • Trimming vegetation away from power lines.
  • Treating ground around wood poles to keep plants from growing.
  • Making powerlines trip faster when something touches them and keeping them from automatically re-energizing after momentary faults.
  • Conducting weather forecasts throughout the summer to assess fire risk.
  • Burying strategically chosen sections of overhead lines.
  • Using infrared imaging and other technologies to monitor equipment for defects.

Wildfire Risk Zones

Idaho Power’s service area includes places where weather patterns, vegetation, and other factors lead to increased risk of wildfire. Those areas are represented on the map below as yellow and red wildfire risk zones.

These zones guide our wildfire season operations and help inform our approach to wildfire mitigation. Throughout wildfire season, Idaho Power continuously monitors these areas for conditions that could increase the risk of wildfire, such as high wind, high temperatures, and dry fuels. When conditions merit, Idaho Power might limit automatic re-energization of tripped lines or increase the sensitivity of devices that automatically de-energize our powerlines. For customers who live in or near wildfire risk zones, this could mean more frequent and longer outages during the height of wildfire season.

  • Yellow wildfire risk zones are locations where Idaho Power conducts special wildfire mitigation work, such as enhanced vegetation management. When working in these areas, our crews carry special firefighting equipment, including fire extinguishers, shovels, and axes.
  • Red wildfire risk zones are locations where Idaho Power might use mitigation actions above and beyond our work in yellow wildfire risk zones, such as hardening or undergrounding overhead powerlines.

Find Out More in Our Wildfire Mitigation Plan

As part of our constant work to deliver safe, reliable, affordable energy to your home or business, Idaho Power has developed wildfire mitigation plans for Idaho and Montana, as well as Oregon. These plans help us prepare for and respond to wildfires. They include:

  • Maps that predict wildfire potential in certain zones across our service area, as well as the chances that wildfire could disrupt service in those zones
  • Descriptions of Idaho Power’s efforts to protect or “harden” our grid against wildfires and other natural emergencies
  • Descriptions of efforts we’ve taken to protect our power lines from trees and other plants
  • Explanation of our Fire Potential Index (FPI), including how we’ll develop and implement it
  • Ways to help customers prepare for and respond to wildfire and other natural emergencies
  • A description of our public safety power shutoff (PSPS) plan.

If you are a contractor needing access to Idaho Power’s FPI information, please fill out this form to request access.

Visit idahopower.com/wildfire for more information.

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For assistance with a PDF on this page or to request a PDF in an alternate format, please contact Customer Service at 208-388-2323 or 1-800-488-6151