03-16-2025, 10:02 AM
Hi Martha-
The BCFFA (Mt fire chiefs group) and BCC (Boulder County Communications) are working with Century Link/Lumen and Xcel to provide funding and training for the local VFD's/FPD's to connect generators to the switches (the battery terminals are called switches). We're also working with the Colorado PUC to coerce the large utilities to meet their service requirements. However this places the responsibility in the event of an outage in the wrong place. It is not the responsibility of the communities or the FD's to remedy the service outage caused by a PSPS (public safety power shutdown/Xcel) or alleviate CL/L's responsibility to provide service during an unscheduled outage. However, the primary interest of the VFD's/FPD's is public safety so we have offered to augment the system by providing this service if trained. Effectively, if a well-meaning responder or citizen were to connect a generator to a switch to provide back-up power, and the switch isn't decoupled from line power, the generator will re-energize the line which could start a fire or electrocute a lineman working to resolve the issue. Neither are good outcomes. The legal department at CL/L is reviewing liabilities and we hope to have an answer sometime in the next couple of months. Please understand that this has been a multi-year endeavor which is why we've turned to the PUC for assistance. Beyond that we are also working with Xcel and CL/L to work together, so that in an instance you've described where Xcel is servicing their lines and de-energizes them, CL/L can take the switches off-line and source generator power for them.
The BCFFA (Mt fire chiefs group) and BCC (Boulder County Communications) are working with Century Link/Lumen and Xcel to provide funding and training for the local VFD's/FPD's to connect generators to the switches (the battery terminals are called switches). We're also working with the Colorado PUC to coerce the large utilities to meet their service requirements. However this places the responsibility in the event of an outage in the wrong place. It is not the responsibility of the communities or the FD's to remedy the service outage caused by a PSPS (public safety power shutdown/Xcel) or alleviate CL/L's responsibility to provide service during an unscheduled outage. However, the primary interest of the VFD's/FPD's is public safety so we have offered to augment the system by providing this service if trained. Effectively, if a well-meaning responder or citizen were to connect a generator to a switch to provide back-up power, and the switch isn't decoupled from line power, the generator will re-energize the line which could start a fire or electrocute a lineman working to resolve the issue. Neither are good outcomes. The legal department at CL/L is reviewing liabilities and we hope to have an answer sometime in the next couple of months. Please understand that this has been a multi-year endeavor which is why we've turned to the PUC for assistance. Beyond that we are also working with Xcel and CL/L to work together, so that in an instance you've described where Xcel is servicing their lines and de-energizes them, CL/L can take the switches off-line and source generator power for them.