Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS)

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Southern California Edison (SCE) has notified the City that during windy weather conditions, power may be shut off to electrical circuits in areas of Simi Valley through SCE's Public Safety Power Shutoff or PSPS program. SCE customers on the potentially affected circuits should be notified in advance by SCE to give them time to prepare.

The decision and authority to shut off power is solely SCE's; the City of Simi Valley and its officials have no control over PSPS events, when power will be turned off, or when power will be restored.

Additional information, including a list of affected circuits and a live incident map of the status of the circuits, can be found on vcemergency.com.

Be Prepared

The best time to prepare for a PSPS event is before it happens.

To learn about fire weather conditions and how SCE evaluates these conditions for a PSPS event, visit sce.com/fireweather.
Watch the forecast for windy conditions.
Sign up for the Medical Baseline program with Southern California Edison if you have medical equipment that relies on electricity: sce.com/residential/assistance/medical-baseline.
Check to see if you are eligible for SCE’s Critical Care Backup Battery Program.
Consider purchasing a generator or battery backup for your home. SCE offers discounts on certain models: marketplace.sce.com/portable-generators/.
Build an emergency kit that’s right for you and your family. Need ideas? Visit ready.gov.
Keep your car’s gas tank at least half full.
Know how to operate your garage’s manual release level.
Keep fresh batteries ready for flashlights for emergency lighting. Avoid using candles, which can create a fire hazard.
Keep roadside emergency triangles in your car’s emergency kit. If you get a flat tire in the dark, you want to make sure people can see your vehicle.
Watch the weather, if high winds are forecast, a PSPS could be triggered. This is not the time to do a big stock up at the grocery store.
Keep a back up cell phone power supply or a solar charger.

During A PSPS Event

Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to keep your food as fresh as possible. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that food can last four to six hours in case of a power outage.
Leave on one light so you know when the power is restored.
Disconnect or turn off appliances that were in use when the power went down. When the power returns, it can surge which can cause serious damage to everything from computers to refrigerators.
Never run a generator inside your home or garage.
Be patient. Your neighbors, businesses, and local internet and phone providers may run generators.

Check PSPS Event Status

Visit sce.com/PSPS to learn more about PSPS events and to look at maps of affected areas during a PSPS event.
For detailed information, including the status of current outages, visit SCE’s website at sce.com/outage-center/check-outage-status.
Sign-up for Outage Alerts: sce.com/outage-center/outage-alerts
The public can also call SCE at (800) 611-1911 to speak with an SCE Customer Service representative.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is a Public Safety Power Shutoff?

Elevated weather conditions can cause vegetation or other items to be blown into power lines possibly creating a wildfire. Under these situations, we may temporarily shut off power to customers to keep you and your community safe. SCE considers a number of factors and conditions before declaring a PSPS. These include, but are not limited to:
• High winds (including Red Flag Warnings declared by the National Weather Service)
• Low humidity
• Dry vegetation that could serve as fuel
• On-the-ground observations
• Fire threat to electric infrastructure
• Public safety risk

Southern California Edison PSPS Decision-Making Process

Who makes the decision to do a PSPS?

Each utility determines when a PSPS is called and how it will be implemented. California’s three largest investor owned utilities, at the direction of the California Public Utilities Commission, are coordinating to prepare all Californians for the threat of wildfires and power outages during times of extreme weather. Find more information about this statewide effort at: prepareforpowerdown.com.

Who will be impacted by the PSPS?

Customers who live in high fire risk areas as defined by the California Public Utilities Commission are more likely to experience a PSPS. However, customers who do not live in these high fire risk areas may also be impacted because of how the electrical grid is interconnected. SCE has a network of circuits providing power to 15 million people within a 50,000-square-mile area of central, coastal and Southern California. Anyone in California could be impacted by emergency events such as PSPS and need to be prepared with a plan.

What about customers who rely on medical equipment for their health and safety?

We engage and identify critical care customers on an ongoing basis well before a PSPS. Power outages also happen in our service area unrelated to a PSPS, so customers need to be prepared to ensure medical equipment will still run during an outage. We encourage our critical care customers to have a backup plan now. Customers with special medical equipment should ensure that we have their most up-to-date contact information so we can notify them of a power shutoff. For more information: sce.com/MedicalBaseline.

Note: Critical care customers are a subset of customers called “medical baseline” customers. Medical baseline customers may have medical equipment, but not all of that equipment is critical, life-saving equipment.

Customers who are not enrolled in an income-qualified program and do not meet the qualifications for the Critical Care Backup Battery Program can still check their eligibility for Medical Baseline online at sce.com/medicalbaseline, which is now available in 19 languages, including Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese and Tagalog.

To learn more about rebates and incentives for portable power solutions, including the Critical Care Backup Battery Program, customers should visit sce.com/customerresources. Customers who are not enrolled in an income-qualified program can learn more on how they can apply by visiting sce.com/careandfera.

How will SCE communicate before, during, and after a PSPS?

We intend to notify affected customers approximately two days in advance of a potential power shutoff. This notification will be via email, text or phone call. We may also send another notice to customers about one day before a potential power shutoff. We will keep customers updated regularly on our website and social media channels. We will also notify affected customers when power has been restored. SCE customers can sign up for PSPS alerts at: www.sce.com/wildfire/psps-alerts.

Does SCE coordinate with local governments and first responders before and during a PSPS event?

How long will it take for my power to be restored after a PSPS event?

A PSPS event will last as long as the dangerous fire weather conditions exist. If circuits are shut off, those circuits and lines will be inspected to ensure there are no problems that might create a danger before power can be safely restored. SCE crews will need to visually inspect the power lines during daylight hours so operations may be limited during overnight hours.

Customers should be prepared to be without power for an extended period of time during a PSPS. Customers should prepare emergency plans now.

Who can I submit a complaint to regarding the PSPS events?

Southern California Edison is regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Residents/Edison customers may contact the CPUC at:

Toll free at: (800) 649-7570 Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

By Mail:
California Public Utilities Commission
Consumer Affairs Branch
505 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102

Email: consumer-affairs@cpuc.ca.gov

Online: CPUC Complaint Form

Will there be rotating outages during a PSPS?

What other steps is SCE taking to reduce wildfire risk?

Turning off power during elevated weather events is just one component of SCE’s Wildfire Mitigation Plan. We continue to reduce the risk of electrical equipment igniting wildfires, going beyond industry practices to address the new conditions we are facing. We’ve implemented a variety of technologies for advanced fire safety, including installation of new high-definition cameras, weather stations and miles of insulated power lines. We are also expanding operational practices such as enhanced overhead inspections, vegetation management and emergency response protocols.

Does SCE have a claims policy?

City of Simi Valley, CA

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