Power companies douse Los Angeles power poles with retardant to protect power grid during fires
With multiple wildfires still burning across the county, several Los Angeles power companies have started to try to get ahead of the potentially volatile and erratic flames, working to mitigate risks by clearing dry vegetation and protecting valuable power lines.
They've been at work for days, stopping at as many power poles as possible along the edges of the wildfires —the Palisades Fire along the Los Angeles coast and the Eaton Fire in the mountains above Pasadena and Altadena.
"We are way ahead from the fire," said Connor Norton, one of the PG&E employees working in North Hollywood on Sunday.
First, they clear dry shrubbery from the area surrounding the poles, using hoes and power tools to clear as much vegetation as they can that may pose a risk to the power grid.
"Our job is to get out along the fire's edge where the fire may go," said Rob Cone, also of PG&E.
Afterwards, they use their trucks to douse each power pole with fire retardant, the same thing that's dropped by firefighting aircraft from above.
They try to spray the substance as far up the pole as they can and into the cracks of each pole, so embers can't latch inside and start a fire.
"That way, if or when the fire does make it this way, we don't have to worry about embers catching it," Norton said.
They both know how important the work is, which makes it all the more rewarding.
"I enjoy this kind of work, even though I am covered in retardant; it's fun," Norton said. "It is cool to see what we do actually pays off."
PG&E says the work they do has a 92% success rate when it comes to preventing power lines from falling during a fire.
Cone say street-side poles cost more than $20,000 to replace if they're downed. The ones on hillsides are even more pricey, topping $100,000 and requiring the assistance of a helicopter.
"The power stays on, first responders get to do what they need to do," Norton said. "At the end of the day, more or less, everyone's happy. ... It is rewarding. You get a sense of accomplishment. We did something today, we did our part."