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PG&E Awards over $3.4 million to Fire Safe Councils in Local Communities to Support Wildfire Safety Efforts
Grants will fund 46 wildfire safety fuel reduction projects and provide important emergency preparedness tools to local communities.
OAKLAND, Calif. — Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has awarded over $3.4 million in grants to 46 Fire Safe Councils and local firefighter associations across its service area. These grants will support wildfire safety fuel reduction projects, as well as to provide important emergency preparedness tools with local communities.
“At PG&E, our top priority is the safety of the communities we serve. By supporting local wildfire prevention efforts, through grants and partnerships, we’re helping to empower local wildfire experts and organizations that lead critical safety initiatives. To meet the challenges of evolving wildfire risk, it is now more important than ever to work hand-in-hand with local Fire Safe Councils and agencies on strengthening wildfire preparedness across our service area,” said Mark Quinlan, Senior Vice President of Wildfire and Emergency Operations at PG&E.
Over the last 10 years, PG&E has provided over $25 million in grant funding to support these projects. These grants support Fire Safe Councils and local agencies that have been carrying out wildfire prevention efforts throughout this year and will continue into 2025.
PG&E’s Wildfire Safety Efforts
In addition to these partnerships, PG&E continues to significantly reduce wildfire risk across its service area by operating a robust, year-round, multi-layered wildfire mitigation program to prevent catastrophic wildfires. These layers of wildfire safety protection include:
- Undergrounding 10,000-miles of powerlines, the largest effort in the U.S. to underground powerlines as a wildfire risk reduction measure.
- Hardening and upgrading the electric system with strong poles and covered powerlines in and near high fire-risk areas.
- Addressing trees and other vegetation located near powerlines that could cause a power outage and/or ignition.
- Continuing to build on a network of weather stations and high-definition AI-capable cameras, allowing PG&E to better predict and respond to severe weather threats and support faster deployment of wildfire resources in the event of an ignition.
- Utilizing Safety and Infrastructure Protection Teams (SIPT) to deploy trained response professionals to protect electrical equipment to increase safety and enhance community recovery.
- Investing in advanced tools and technologies like artificial intelligence and drones that help automate fire detection and response.
- Utilizing Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (EPSS) which automatically turn off the power within one-tenth of a second if a wildfire hazard is detected, like a branch striking a powerline. This helps stop a wildfire before it has a chance to start.
- Implementing Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) as a tool of last resort to shutoff power during dangerously high winds.
Customers can learn more about PG&E’s layers of wildfire protection in their area, as well as eligibility for customer assistance programs by visiting PG&E’s Wildfire Safety Progress Map (pge.com/progressmap).
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in Oakland, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation’s cleanest energy to 16 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit pge.com and pge.com/news.
