Protecting Our Communities Through Wildfire Prevention
As part of PenLight’s commitment to wildfire safety, some of our electrical systems may operate in what we call SafetyFirst Mode during high-risk fire conditions.
When a line is placed in SFM, it means that automatic reclosing has been temporarily disabled. Normally, if a fault (like a falling branch or animal contact) causes a line to trip, the system will attempt to automatically re-energize the line. However, during elevated wildfire risk, this automatic “reclosing” is paused to prevent potential sparks that could ignite dry vegetation.
Why SafetyFirst Mode Matters
- Prevents wildfires: Disabling automatic reclosing reduces the chance of re-energizing lines that may have come into contact with trees, debris, or fallen equipment.
- Supports faster inspections: When a line trips, crews are immediately dispatched to inspect and clear the area before power is safely restored.
- Focused on safety: While this may lead to longer outages in affected areas, it reflects our top priority—protecting people, property, and natural surroundings.
How You Can Help
- Stay informed during Red Flag Warnings or extreme weather days.
- Have an outage plan in place, especially if you rely on electrically powered medical devices.
- Sign up for PenLight outage texting and follow us on social media for real-time updates.
We appreciate your understanding and partnership as we continue working to deliver safe, reliable power—while reducing the risk of wildfires in our beautiful community.
For more on wildfire safety and how we’re preparing, visit our Wildfire Mitigation page.