Southern California Edison Aerial Inspection Program Information

From the City of Rancho Santa Margarita:

November 25, 2019

Southern California Edison Aerial Inspection Program Information

Drones may be visible in the Rancho Santa Margarita area as contracted by Southern California Edison to perform aerial inspections of the power poles throughout Southern California for required fire mitigation and safety.

Drone inspections are scheduled to begin in the Rancho Santa Margarita area on Monday, November 25, 2019, and continue through mid-December. Bird’s Eye Aerial Drones, LLC, (BEAD), contracted by Southern California Edison (SCE), will perform aerial inspections of power poles for required fire mitigation and utility safety. Inspections will not be conducted on Thanksgiving or the Friday after, or weekends.

Flight teams will wear gear clearly branded with SCE and BEAD logos. All vehicles used will be marked as SCE contractor vehicles. Pilots are certified by the FAA, and all required authorizations and documents are held. SCE will provide notifications to customers regarding area operation, and crews carry pamphlets with contact numbers for SCE for additional questions.

For more information on SCE’s aerial inspection program, click here: https://energized.edison.com/stories/aerial-inspections-of-electrical-equipment-help-reduce-risk

For more information on SCE’s use of aerial drones click here: https://energized.edison.com/stories/drones-join-helicopters-inspecting-power-lines-in-high-fire-risk-areas

For information and real-time status of power outages and locations, click here: https://www.sce.com/outage-center/check-outage-status

To contact an SCE representative directly regarding outages (24 hours a day, seven days a week), call (800) 611-1911 then press 2.

For residents with critical medical issues, please register with SCE for the Medical Baseline contact list at https://www.sce.com/residential/assistance/medical-baseline or by calling (800) 447-6620. Medical baseline is for people who require electrically powered medical equipment for life support. Inclusion on the list requires a doctor’s certification. SCE contacts individuals on the Medical Baseline list before planned outages.

This press release was produced by the City of Rancho Santa Margarita. The views expressed here are the author’s own.