Columbia, CA…This week, PG&E will be patrolling electric infrastructure via helicopter around Tuolumne County. Helicopters patrolling the power lines will be leaving out of the Columbia Airport and typically fly from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Electric employees will be in the helicopters, which will be flying low at an altitude of about 300 to 500 feet and following power lines, in order to inspect the equipment from the air. Flights are subject to change without notice.

Patrols will continue through the week and include areas of Wards Ferry, Columbia, Jamestown, Cedar Ridge, Crystal Falls, Mi Wuk, Sierra Village, Twain Harte, Sugar Pine, Cold Springs, Pinecrest, Strawberry, Cow Creek, Sonora, Groveland, and Tuttletown.

Every year, PG&E inspects and monitors every overhead electric transmission and distribution line, either on foot or by air, with some locations patrolled multiple times.

Given the continued and growing threat of extreme weather and wildfires, and as an additional precautionary measure following the 2017 and 2018 wildfires, we are expanding and enhancing our Community Wildfire Safety Program to further reduce wildfire risks and help keep our customers and the communities we serve safe.

In response to the rapidly changing environmental conditions in our state, this includes expanding our Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) program to include all electric lines that pass through high fire-threat areas – both distribution and transmission. In the event of extreme weather, we will proactively de-energize the lines, shutting off power, for the safety to those communities.

These patrols will help crews’ abilities to inspect and restore power more quickly and efficiently during a PSPS. During an actual PSPS, crews will inspect every part of the de-energized lines from the sky and/or from the ground, to identify and repair damage, before restoring power. Power should not be affected during these patrols.