October is Fire Prevention Month - Black Hills Energy Highlights Wildfire Mitigation Programs
26 October 2023 - 7:39AM
Safety is a fundamental component of Black Hills Energy’s mission
of improving life with energy. In recognition of “Fire Prevention
Month” this October, the company is building awareness of its
wildfire mitigation initiatives, which are designed to support the
safe and reliable delivery of energy to customers and communities
across its service areas.
“Safety and reliability go hand-in-hand and are top priorities
at Black Hills Energy,” said Marne Jones, senior vice president of
utilities. “For decades, we have employed a wide variety of
wildfire mitigation measures and initiatives to support the
integrity of our energy delivery systems, while safeguarding our
facilities and the surrounding environment. These efforts are part
of our comprehensive approach to mitigate not only wildfire risk,
but also a variety of extreme weather events, including ice storms
and high winds.
“Wildfire safety is a daily focus for our operations teams,”
continued Jones. “We use a combination of tools, practices, and
programs as part of our everyday work to support our risk
mitigation efforts and drive reliability for our customers and
communities. These wildfire mitigation practices have helped our
electric segment consistently maintain top quartile
reliability.”
Black Hills Energy manages its wildfire risk mitigation through
a three-layered approach including: 1) asset programs, 2) integrity
programs and 3) operational response. These include but are not
limited to:
- Asset Programs – We conduct proactive
equipment inspections and repairs and utilize maintenance practices
that include vegetation management within our rights of way,
electric power line patrols (air and ground), in addition to power
pole inspections and replacement.
- Integrity Programs – We make system
investments aimed at improving reliability and reducing risk,
undergrounding electric distribution lines, and applying
construction standards that reduce the likelihood of wildlife
interactions with facilities.
- Operational Response: We make risk-driven
decisions including system reconfigurations and daily work
activities and equipment operation (non-reclosing energized power
lines), and use fire weather forecasting tools to enhance our
team’s situational awareness and better understand and appreciate
potentially hazardous fire areas.
“In addition to our operational activities, we work diligently
to engage our customers and communities in public safety practices
and how to stay safe around overhead and underground electric
lines,” stated Jones. “This is an essential part of Black Hills
Energy’s work to maintain a safe environment because we live here,
too, and are deeply embedded in our local communities. To further
our efforts, each year we conduct public safety training for first
responders and large-scale emergency response drills to help ensure
our team and partners are ready to serve our communities during
natural disasters or other times of need.”
“As we build awareness of “Fire Prevention Month” and wildfire
risk, our team understands the critical natural and importance of
the ongoing development and implementation of wildfire risk
mitigation strategies, for the betterment of the environment and
our customers, employees, and communities,” concluded Jones.
Additional details on Black Hills Energy’s risk-mitigation
programs can be found on its website at
www.blackhillsenergy.com/wildfire-safety.
Black Hills CorporationBlack Hills Corp. (NYSE:
BKH) is a customer focused, growth-oriented utility company with a
tradition of improving life with energy and a vision to be the
energy partner of choice. Based in Rapid City, South Dakota, the
company serves 1.33 million natural gas and electric utility
customers in eight states: Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas,
Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming.
Investor RelationsJerome E.
Nichols605-721-1171jerome.nichols@blackhillscorp.com
24-Hour Media Relations Line888-242-3969
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