How do active wildland fires impact Hydro One’s operations?
Active wildland fires increase the risk to Hydro One’s infrastructure, especially near transmission lines and stations. In response, the company activates its emergency management operations, coordinates with provincial authorities, and adapts work practices to ensure employee safety.
Is Hydro One taking preventative measures to protect electricity infrastructure?
Hydro One takes proactive measures to safeguard its operations and electricity infrastructure. These include:
- Coordinating closely with the Ministry of Natural Resources
- Reviewing and adapting work practices to ensure employee safety and compliance with local emergency orders
- Implementing protective measures such as installing sprinkler systems at key stations, wrapping critical poles in fire-retardant mesh, and clearing vegetation to create fire breaks
Is Hydro One taking preventative measures to mitigate the risk of inadvertently igniting wildland fires?
We monitor fire danger ratings and take proactive steps to reduce the risks to our electricity infrastructure. Precautionary measures may include dispatching crews when an issue is detected on a powerline, rather than attempting to remotely restore power. This could help prevent potential hazards, such as vegetation interference or equipment damage, that could pose a risk during restoration.
Does this mean outages may be longer?
During wildland fire season, we actively monitor fire danger ratings and take proactive steps to reduce the risk of igniting fires. As a precaution, we may dispatch crews to inspect powerlines rather than restoring power remotely. This helps prevent hazards such as vegetation interference or equipment damage that could pose a fire risk.
As a result, restoration times may be longer due to crew travel and on-site assessments. If an issue is discovered, the estimated time of restoration will be updated. Crews do their upmost to restore power as quickly as possible because we know that prolonged outages are inconvenient. However, we must put the safety of communities, customers and employees first.
How much longer will an outage be?
When an outage is first detected/reported, the estimated time of restoration provided to customers includes the time it takes for crews to arrive to the site.
As with all outages, the estimated time of restoration is updated once crews arrive onsite and determine what repairs, if any, may be needed to restore power.
When will Hydro One’s operations go back to normal so power can be restored remotely?
We will continue to modify our operations until fire danger ratings improve and it is safe to resume normal restoration practices, including remote power restoration. Wildland fire ratings are updated every three hours, and we monitor them closely to guide our operational decisions.
Is this the first time Hydro One has modified operations due to wildland fires?
No, this is an action we have taken in the past when extreme fire ratings have indicated an elevated risk.
We have heard from our customers, partners and the communities we serve that they want information regarding potential outages so they can prepare accordingly.
Are there actions I can take to prepare for wildland fires?
FireSmart Canada has helpful information on steps you can take to protect your home from wildland fires.
Learn more at FireSmart Canada.
We encourage customers to always have an emergency kit on hand in case of a prolonged outage, or in case they need to evacuate their home quickly. For information on what to include in your kit, visit our
emergency preparedness kit guide.
Customers can also sign up for outage alerts at hydroone.com/outages to receive the latest information directly by text about an outage affecting their home.
What happens if Hydro One’s infrastructure is affected by a wildland fire?
If Hydro One’s infrastructure is affected by a wildland fire, crews would replace/rebuild the damaged infrastructure and restore power once conditions are safe for them to access the area. This includes assessing the damage and determining the necessary repairs, which may involve replacing poles, lines, or other equipment.
Where possible, Hydro One may reroute power through alternate lines to restore service more quickly while repairs are underway. However, in areas with significant damage or limited access, restoration may take longer.
Hydro One works closely with emergency services and local authorities to coordinate safe access and ensure restoration efforts do not interfere with firefighting operations.
Customers are encouraged to always have an emergency kit on hand in case of a prolonged outage, or in case they need to evacuate your home quickly. For information on what to include in your kit visit our
emergency preparedness kit guide.
Customers can also sign up for outage alerts at hydroone.com/outages to receive the latest information directly by text about an outage affecting their home.
