City holds public safety power shutoff drill
City Staff prepares for a potential 72-hour power outage
City Staff prepares for a potential 72-hour power outage–On Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, Paso Robles City Staff held an Emergency Operations Center drill in preparation for a potential PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). Forty staff members across all city departments worked to create an emergency response plan for a potential multi-day power outage.
The drill included plans for:
• Police, fire and public works response
• Internal and external communication procedures
• Establishment of cooling and resource centers
• Internal operations, and more
As a precautionary measure following the 2017 and 2018 wildfires, PG&E is expanding and enhancing their Community Wildfire Safety Program to reduce wildfire risks and help keep communities safe. This includes expanding the Public Safety Power Shutoff program beginning with the 2019 wildfire season to include all electric lines that pass through high fire-threat areas – both distribution and transmission.
Weather threats can change quickly. PG&E’s goal is to provide customers with advance notice prior to turning off power. PG&E will also provide updates until power is restored. To receive emergency alerts in the event of a PSPS, the public is encouraged to register for the reverse 911 notification system at www.slosheriff.org/reverse_911.php. If you do not have Internet access, please leave a message at (805) 788-2353 for assistance.
For more information on how you can prepare yourself and your family for a PSPS, visit: www.prepareforpowerdown.com.
