Public Safety Power Shutoffs

We’ve all seen the devastating impact that wildfires can have on communities. As part of our evolving wildfire safety practices, we’re introducing an additional measure, a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) policy to help keep customers and the communities we serve safe.

What is a Public Safety Power Shutoff?

A PSPS event is a preventative measure where power is temporarily shut off to reduce potential ignition sources during periods of extreme wildfire risk.

A PSPS event is a tool of last resort that we anticipate would be used rarely.  Our analysis of extreme weather events during the past ten years in those areas identified as having the greatest wildfire risk in our service area found one occurrence of weather conditions that would have met our PSPS criteria.

If a PSPS event is likely, we will provide as much advance notice to customers, impacted communities and emergency partners as possible. Before restoring power, our crews will patrol the lines to ensure it’s safe to turn the electricity back on.

When would a PSPS be activated?

Conditions for a PSPS go well beyond a dry, hot summer day. A PSPS event would only be implemented during periods of extreme wildfire risk combined with high sustained wind speeds. We’re monitoring for a Fire Weather Index of 47 or more and sustained wind speeds greater than 75 kilometres per hour, a combination that we expect will be rare. We will also consider additional factors, such as alternative mitigation strategies, and input received from public safety partners, local and provincial governments, Indigenous communities, and critical infrastructure providers, where available. 

We understand that our customers and the communities we serve rely on electricity, and any power outage can be a concern. To help communities prepare for a PSPS event, we will provide as much advance notice as possible and provide updates throughout the outage by email, alerts on our homepage, on social media and via Alertable. You can stay up to date on future and current power outages on our outage map.

Where would a PSPS be activated?

We plan to implement our PSPS policy in 2025 in areas that have been identified as having the greatest wildfire risk. This includes communities within the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary, including Midway, Greenwood, Beaverdell, Christian Valley, Westbridge, Rock Creek, Bridesville and Mount Baldy, and within the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, including Princeton, Hedley, Tulameen, Coalmont and Apex. There are additional rural communities and properties in these regions that could also experience a PSPS event, including west Keremeos.

As wildfire safety practices continue to evolve, different power lines may be added or removed based on risk assessments.

Register as a vulnerable customer

If you or your family depend on power for medical needs, please reach out to our customer service team at 1-866-436-7847 to register as a vulnerable customer. In the event of a PSPS, we’ll take additional steps to reach out to registered vulnerable customers directly. You can also add a second person you want us to contact, in addition to yourself, in the event we need to shut off your power.

^*Please note: Weather conditions can change quickly. While we aim to provide advance notice, a PSPS may happen with little warning.