SCE journeyman lineman Brian Payne staying hydrated while working during the heat wave
SCE Crews Continue to Battle High Heat
By Casey Wian
As a sweltering heat wave continues to blanket - Opens in new window much of Southern California Edison’s service area, the company’s crews are responding quickly and safely to some suspected heat-related power outages - Opens in new window .
“In general, our system has performed really well. A lot of the work we have been doing over the past several years on equipment replacement, upgrades and electric grid hardening, we are now seeing the benefits,” said Adebola Ayorinde, director of Distribution, Construction and Maintenance for SCE’s Southeast Region.
Ayorinde, a 26-year veteran of SCE, remembers a decade ago when comparatively minor heat events would result in multiple calls for repairs, including changing out transformers and wires. “We still have challenges when there is high heat for several days, but not anything close to the difficulties we used to have,” he said.
SCE’s weather team forecasts - Opens in new window the heat wave will persist well into next week. Several consecutive days of high heat and warmer-than-usual nighttime temperatures can lead to equipment failures - Opens in new window because electric distribution equipment needs the opportunity to cool sufficiently between periods of heavy use. Areas where overnight temperatures don’t drop below 80 degrees are particularly concerning.
Ayorinde said that before heat events, SCE plans so there are enough crews on-site ready to respond quickly to heat-related outages.
“But it’s also very important to ensure that we are protecting them and not exposing them to heat-related illness,” he said.
Brian Payne, an SCE journeyman line worker in the South Bay District, drinks three or four bottles of water before he starts his shift and drinks sports drinks for hydration throughout the day. This week, he has worked on jobs including pole setting and running cable in an underground vault.
“It gets really hot down in those vaults. It’s like a car in the heat,” Payne said. “We open up the manhole completely, put a blower down there and let it air out and cool down before we go in.”
Sometimes, that’s not enough, and it is too hot underground for crews to work safely.
“We're never in a hurry to hurt ourselves. You can always replace equipment, but you can’t replace life,” Payne said.
During periods of extreme heat where outages may last longer than 24 hours, SCE can also deploy Community Crew Vehicles and staffs Community Resource Centers - Opens in new window . They offer resources such as phone charging, light snacks and water, and can answer questions about outages.
Scheduled power outages to perform maintenance work have continued during the heat wave because they are critical to preventing wider, longer-lasting outages.
The California Independent System Operator, which manages the electric grid statewide - Opens in new window , said Thursday it is “closely monitoring forecasted high heat. At this time, grid conditions are stable, no energy supply shortages are anticipated, and no Flex Alerts or emergency declarations are planned.”
Scheduled outages to perform electric grid maintenance - Opens in new window have continued through the heat wave. Customers often wonder about the decision to interrupt service for maintenance during periods of high heat temporarily, but it is necessary to prevent longer, more widespread power outages. When possible, SCE moves maintenance work to times of the day when temperatures are lowest.
For more information and tips on how to prepare for an outage, visit sce.com/outage-center - Opens in new window .
