Wildfire Safety Division Brief Wildfire Advisory Safety Board
Wildfire Safety Division Brief Wildfire Advisory Safety Board Meeting January 21, 2020 Caroline Thomas Jacobs Director, Wildfire Safety Division California Public Utilities Commission 1
Wildfire Safety Division Established per legislation—AB 1054 and AB 111. Public Utilities Code 326; 8387; & 8389 …is responsible for evaluating for approval Wildfire Mitigation Plans submitted by the state’s investor-owned utilities, reviewing and issuing IOU Safety Certificates, monitoring WMP & Public Safety Power Shutoff compliance, and conducting safety culture assessments. In coordination with other CPUC Divisions, WSD works closely with other state agencies, including California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CAL OES), to advance utility wildfire safety by developing comprehensive utility wildfire mitigation evaluation and compliance criteria, collaborating with local, state and federal agencies, and supporting efforts to improve utility wildfire safety culture. 2 Wildfire Safety Division Brief to Wildfire Safety Advisory Board Jan, 21, 2020
2020 WSD Objectives Build out the Wildfire Safety Division Fulfill 2020 Statutory Responsibilities Develop Transition Plan to CNRA 3 Wildfire Safety Division Brief to Wildfire Safety Advisory Board Jan, 21, 2020
Where WSD Currently Resides 4 Wildfire Safety Division Brief to Wildfire Safety Advisory Board Jan, 21, 2020
Build out the Wildfire Safety Division Director Support Ø Hiring staff Ø Developing Division policies, procedures and protocols Ø Securing space and equipment Wildfire Mitigation Branch Ops & Response Section North Section Analysts South Section GIS 5 Sr. Scientist Wildfire Safety Division Brief to Wildfire Safety Advisory Board Jan, 21, 2020 Compliance Branch
People • Posted all WSD positions • Hired Management & Supervisory Team • Actively screening remaining positions Processes • • Tools 2019 Accomplishments • Secured space for WSD • Procured IT equipment for all 22 positions • Completed assessment of WSD technology needs Re-published WMP Compliance RFP Established 2020 WMP “Hybrid” Evaluation Process Developed new 2020 WMP Guidelines and Maturity Model Executed BCG Contract Phase 2 Amendment 6 Wildfire Safety Division Brief to Wildfire Safety Advisory Board Jan, 21, 2020
2020 Wildfire Safety Division Workplan Tools Processes People WSD Organization 7 • • • Hire remaining PYs Develop WSD Operating Model, including administrative policies and procedures Secure remaining technology needs Statutory Requirements • Assess existing structure meets statutory workload Complete: • 2020 WMP Evaluation • 2020 Safety Certificates • Safety Culture Assessments • Develop & initiate compliance assurance • Receive & incorporate WSAB Recommendations • Develop a data analytics capability Wildfire Safety Division Brief to Wildfire Safety Advisory Board Jan, 21, 2020 Transition Plan • Finalize organizational alignment to CNRA • Develop 2021 WMP processes Develop 2021 Compliance processes • • Align WSD capabilities to CNRA capabilities.
Copyright © 2019 by Boston Consulting Group. All rights reserved. Aligning the Utility Wildfire Mitigation Effort Wildfire Safety Division Brief to Wildfire Safety Advisory Board Jan, 21, 2020
Aligning the Utility Wildfire Mitigation Effort Wildfire Safety Division Brief to Wildfire Safety Advisory Board Jan, 21, 2020
Aligning the Utility Wildfire Mitigation Effort Report Description Utility Wildfire Mitigation Strategy & Roadmap Overview of utility-wildfire situation in California today, best practices, strategic recommendations, and suggested roadmap Utility Wildfire Mitigation Vision & Objectives CPUC vision & objectives rationale, baseline, and implications Wildfire Mitigation Plan Guidelines Proposal for WMP guidelines and supplementary materials for 2021+; open to public comment Wildfire Mitigation Plan Maturity Model Framework for utility wildfire mitigation maturity with standardized scoring rubric Supplemental Data Requests Set of templates for utilities to complete as part of WMP submission and annual updates going forward Performance Metrics Proposal for progress and outcome metrics, including definitions, sources, reporting cadence 10 Utility Wildfire Data Strategy Initial proposal for a WSD wildfire mitigation data strategy Wildfire Safety Division Brief to Wildfire Safety Advisory Board Jan, 21, 2020
Wildfire Mitigation Branch Melissa Semcer Branch Manager 11 Wildfire Safety Division Brief to Wildfire Safety Advisory Board Jan, 21, 2020
Mission • Finalizing metrics and process to evaluate 2020 WMPs and undertake 2020 WMP evaluation (next slides) • Assess executive compensation programs for safety • Review requests for safety certificates • Develop ongoing relationships with CAL FIRE and others • Build internal capabilities in ICS, SEMS, forestry, GIS etc. Next Steps • Ensure electric corporations’ programs and policies are effective at reducing utility-caused wildfire ignitions 2020 Objectives Wildfire Mitigation Branch • Round out the team • Complete 2020 WMP evaluation 12 Wildfire Safety Division Brief to Wildfire Safety Advisory Board Jan, 21, 2020
Copyright © 2019 by Boston Consulting Group. All rights reserved. Wildfire Mitigation Branch 13 Wildfire Safety Division Brief to Wildfire Safety Advisory Board Jan, 21, 2020
Copyright © 2019 by Boston Consulting Group. All rights reserved. 2020 Utility Wildfire Mitigation Plans 14 Wildfire Safety Division Brief to Wildfire Safety Advisory Board Jan, 21, 2020
Wildfire Mitigation Plans Guidelines 15 Wildfire Safety Division Brief to Wildfire Safety Advisory Board Jan, 21, 2020
Utility Wildfire Mitigation Maturity and Assessment Copyright © 2019 by Boston Consulting Group. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2019 by Boston Group. All rights reserved. Scoring against capabilities for each category, with higher scores indicating more mature approaches to wildfire risk. Wildfire Safety Division Brief to Wildfire Safety Advisory Board Jan, 21, 2020
52 Capabilities to Assess Wildfire Mitigation Maturity (4 -6 per category, scored on zero to four scale) Risk assessment and A mapping Capability III Capability IV Capability V Climate scenario modeling Ignition risk estimation Estimation of wildfire consequences for communities Weather variables collected Weather data resolution Weather forecasting ability External sources used in weather forecasting Wildfire detection processes and capabilities Grid design for resiliency and minimizing PSPS Risk-based grid hardening and cost efficiency Grid design and asset innovation Estimation of wildfire and PSPS risk-reduction impact Risk maps and simulation algorithms Capability VI B Situational awareness and forecasting C Grid design and system Approach to prioritizing Grid design for minimizing initiatives across territory ignition risk hardening D Asset management and inspections Asset inventory and condition assessments Asset inspection cycle Asset inspection effectiveness Asset maintenance and repair QA/QC for asset management E Vegetation management and inspections Vegetation inventory and condition assessments Vegetation inspection cycle Vegetation inspection effectiveness Vegetation grow-in mitigation Vegetation fall-in mitigation QA/QC for vegetation management F Grid operations and operating protocols Protective equipment and device settings Incorporating ignition risk factors in grid control PSPS op. model and consequence mitigation Protocols for PSPS initiation Protocols for PSPS reenergization Ignition prevention and suppression Data collection and curation Data transparency and analytics Near-miss tracking Data sharing with research community Portfolio-wide innovation in new wildfire initiatives G Data governance H Resource allocation methodology Scenario analysis across different risk levels Presentation of relative risk spend efficiency for portfolio of initiatives Process for determining risk spend efficiency (RSE) of veg. mgmt. initiatives Process for determining RSE of system hardening initiatives Portfolio-wide initiative allocation methodology I Emergency planning and preparedness Wildfire plan integrated with overall disaster/emergency plan Plan to restore service after wildfire outage Emergency community engagement during and after wildfire Protocols in place to learn from wildfire events Processes for continuous improvement after wildfire and PSPS J Stakeholder cooperation and community engagement Cooperation and best practice sharing with other utilities Community engagement on utility wildfire mitigation initiatives Engagement with LEP and AFN populations Collaboration with emergency response agencies Collaboration on wildfire mitigation planning with stakeholders Wildfire Safety Division Brief to Wildfire Safety Advisory Board Jan, 21, 2020 Copyright © 2019 by Boston Consulting Group. All rights reserved. Category
Proposed Performance Metrics: Copyright © 2019 by Boston Consulting Group. All rights reserved. 10 progress and 20 outcome metric types to track utility wildfire risk reduction, activities and results Wildfire Safety Division Brief to Wildfire Safety Advisory Board Jan, 21, 2020
Copyright © 2019 by Boston Consulting Group. All rights reserved. CPUC holds utilities accountable for managing wildfire risk in a 3 -step process.
Copyright © 2019 by Boston Consulting Group. All rights reserved. Key 2020 Wildfire Mitigation Plan Dates
Compliance Branch Christopher Meyer Branch Manager 21 Wildfire Safety Division Brief to Wildfire Safety Advisory Board Jan, 21, 2020
Mission • • • Next Steps • Reduce utility-caused wildfire ignitions by building a culture of compliance with the electrical corporations through audits, field inspection and outcome-based default corrections 2020 Objectives Compliance Branch Hire WMP Compliance Delegate Develop Compliance Requirements Review requests for safety certificates Develop list of 3 rd Party Independent Evaluators for IOUs Develop compliance tracking/reporting system • Round out the team • Audit of IOU compliance with 2019 WMPs 22 Wildfire Safety Division Brief to Wildfire Safety Advisory Board Jan, 21, 2020
Develop Culture of Compliance Ø Build Compliance Tracking System • Enter all WMP requirements • Track compliance using adopted metrics • Track default reporting to IOUs and resolution Ø Maximize effectiveness of all field inspection • • Coordinate activities of IOU Independent Evaluators (IEs) Deploy WSD Compliance Delegate staff based on risks Use WSD staff to gap-fill and communicate with IOUs Coordinate with SED on any unresolved defaults Ø Review all IOU and IE Annual Compliance Reports • Track effectiveness of WMP compliance on achieving outcomebased metrics 23 Wildfire Safety Division Brief to Wildfire Safety Advisory Board Jan, 21, 2020
Key Dates 24 Wildfire Safety Division Brief to Wildfire Safety Advisory Board Jan, 21, 2020
Wildfire Safety Division Brief Wildfire Advisory Safety Board Meeting January 21, 2020 25
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