​PG&E Conducting Drills For Public Safety Power Shutoffs In Marin

MARIN COUNTY, CA — Pacific Gas and Electric Company crews will be checking power lines and conducting drills Friday in Marin County and across the North Bay to prepare for the peak of fire season and reduce public safety power shutoffs.

The drills include testing new procedures that will improve communications to customers, shorten the length of power outages and reduce the number of customers affected when power has to be shut off in an effort to reduce the risk of wildfires, according to PG&E.

"Nothing is more important than keeping our customers and their communities safe," said Michael Lewis, interim president of PPG&E.

"We also know that when we call a Public Safety Power Shutoff to meet that responsibility, it can disrupt lives and cause hardship. These exercises help us ensure that if we forecast dangerous weather and a real event becomes necessary, we will be ready to respond efficiently and effectively, while doing everything we can to minimize those impacts."

The patrols will be conducted between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Friday by crews on the ground and aboard helicopters. No outages are anticipated.

In Marin County, crews will patrol near Inverness, Lagunitas, Marshall, Nicasio, Olema and Point Reyes.