Red Flag Warning
What is a Red Flag Warning?
During summer fire season, the National Weather Service may issue a Red Flag warning when warm temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds are expected to combine to produce an increased risk of fire danger.
How Does CPI Operate Under Red Flag Conditions?
During a Red Flag warning, CPI implements wildfire prevention protocols in the areas covered by the Red Flag warning. This includes setting protective devices on the electrical system to automatically de-energize the lines if they detect a faulty current that could be from downed power lines.
How Might This Impact My Service?
Any outages that occur during a Red Flag warning will likely impact more members and be longer than normal. This is because CPI personnel must patrol the de-energized sections of line to ensure that all damage is repaired before they turn the power back on.
Will a Red Flag Warning Automatically Result in a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS)
No. While Red Flag warnings factor into CPI’s decision-making about whether to initiate a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS), they do not automatically result in a PSPS.
How Will CPI Communicate To Members About a Red Flag Warning?
Whenever possible, CPI will attempt to notify members once a Red Flag warning has been issued by the National Weather Service. However, situations may prevent CPI from providing notice as the actual onset of extreme weather conditions and other circumstances beyond CPI’s control may disrupt coordination and notification efforts.
CPI’s primary means of communicating a Red Flag warning will include: CPI website, CPI Outage Tool and Twitter.
For help signing up for a Twitter account, click here.
To ensure CPI has your contact information on file, please contact us at 800-872-9036 or via your SmartHub account.