Douglas Electric Planned Response to Red Flag Warning
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a red flag warning for most of the Douglas County starting at midnight tonight and is projected to last until Saturday at 10:00 AM. The Douglas Forest Protective Association (DFPA) has moved the Public Use Restriction Level to Extreme and the Industrial Fire Precaution Level to 4 which is a complete shutdown of all industrial activities in the district.
As a result of this extreme fire danger, Douglas Electric Cooperative (DEC) has moved the protective devices in most of our substations to their most sensitive settings. Currently, the only substations not affected are Scottsburg, Gardiner, and Reedsport but we will be setting Scottsburg to its most sensitive setting this afternoon and Gardiner to follow on Friday afternoon.
So, what does this mean to our members? DEC is not instituting a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) at this time, however, the change in equipment settings may result in more frequent and longer unplanned outages. To provide faster response times, we will have crew members standing by throughout our service territory to respond as quickly as possible. If the conditions are windy or we are not able to fully patrol the lines following an outage, we will not reenergize until conditions improve. What this means is, we are asking members to prepare now in case of outages in your area. Have a plan. If you require power for medical devices, have a plan. http://ready.gov/wildfires
Thank you for your patience and be safe out there.
