Wildfire liability: Proactive strategies for utilities and infrastructure

Equipped with an understanding of your exposures, the next step is creating a comprehensive wildfire mitigation and crisis response plan. A significant focus for utility and critical infrastructure companies should include enhanced maintenance and inspection protocols for physical assets, ensuring that they are well-prepared to withstand wildfire threats.

Your plan should also account for system hardening measures, such as creating defensible space around structures, using fire-resistant materials, and implementing vegetation management best practices. Many utility companies are also setting power lines that traverse dry areas, so they shut down promptly when branches come into contact with them. This proactive measure may reduce the likelihood of sparks igniting wildfires. Since outages could impact customers, it is important to have a clear and consistent communication policy to alert those affected, possibly even providing advance warning.

Additionally, it is important to establish crisis response plans that clearly outline employees' and teams' roles and responsibilities, communication strategies, and evacuation procedures. It is also important to be in close contact and coordinate with local firefighting resources and hold regular training and drills, including tabletop exercises, to help all stakeholders become familiar with the plans. Doing so will allow them to respond more effectively and quickly in the event of a wildfire.