Wildfire Preparedness

City Light's Wildfire Risk Reduction Strategy

The warmer and drier conditions driven by our changing climate are increasing the frequency and intensity of wildfires. Even the traditionally wet forests of the Pacific Northwest are now at greater risk from wildfire than in the past, as are the buildings and infrastructure interlaced within the forests.

Seattle City Light has been paying attention to these changing wildfire conditions. While the risk of fires being ignited by our own assets is low, we recognize that wildfire risk is increasing even in typically soggy areas of the state. In assessing these changing situations, we have proactively taken action to reduce the risk of starting wildfires and mitigate the potential impacts of wildfire on energy facilities, electricity delivery and the communities we serve.

City Light has actively managed wildfire risk for years, and the Wildfire Risk Reduction Strategy (WRRS) is an effort to formalize and advance our wildfire risk reduction work.

Wildfire Risk Reduction Strategy

Key Elements of City Light’s Strategy

The WRRS addresses the potential for our assets and infrastructure to cause wildfires and be impacted by them. The key elements of our strategy include the following:

• Risk assessment to understand the risk of electric grid assets causing wildfires, as well as the risk of those assets being affected by wildfires.
• Risk mitigation to reduce wildfire risk, including actions such as grid hardening and vegetation management.
• Emergency management to monitor for high-risk weather conditions when fires are more likely to occur and to respond when those conditions arise.
• Stakeholder engagement with the communities that may be affected by wildfire or City Light’s response to wildfires, and coordination with emergency response organizations and municipalities to respond to events.
• Governance and accountability to designate responsibility for execution of the WRRS and provide oversight to improve the strategy as it is executed.

How Will the Strategy Change in the Future?

This document will be updated regularly as we refine existing preventive measures, learn new ways to assess risk, and respond to and recover from threats and hazards. We are not alone in wildfire preparedness, and we understand how valuable it is to coordinate our efforts with other city departments, the county, the state, and other utilities to better understand how to reduce the risk of wildfires and mitigate their effects.