Attachment A
VMUS Wildfire Mitigation Plan
WILDFIRE
MITIGATION PLAN
I. Utility Overview and Context 1
A. Utility Description and Context Setting Table 1 B. Statutory Cross-Reference Table 3
C. Process for Utility Adoption and Submittal of Annual WMP and Opportunities for Public Comment 5
D. Description of Where WMP Information Can be Found on Utility Website 5 E. Purpose of the Wildfire Mitigation Plan 5
F. Organization of the Wildfire Mitigation Plan 6 II. Objectives of the Wildfire Mitigation Plan 6 III. Roles and Responsibilities 7
A. Utility Governance Structure 7
B. Wildfire Prevention 7
C. Wildfire Response and Recovery 8
D. Standardized Emergency Management System 9
IV. Wildfire Risks and Drivers Associated with Design, Construction, Operation, and Maintenance 11
A. Particular Risks and Risk Drivers Associated with Topographic & Climatological Risk Factors 11 B. Enterprise-Wide Safety Risks 11
V. Wildfire Preventative Strategies 14
A. Low Fire Threat District 14
B. Design and Construction Standards 14
C. Vegetation Management 14
D. Inspections 15
E. Reclosing Policy 15
F. De-Energization 15
G. Community Outreach and Public Awareness 15
VI. Restoration of Service 16
VII. Plan Evaluation 17
A. Metrics and Assumptions for Measuring Plan Performance 17 B. Impact of Metrics on Plan 18
C. Monitoring and Auditing the Plan 18
D. Identifying and Correcting Deficiencies in the Plan 18 E. Monitoring the Effectives of Inspections 18
F. Wildfire Mitigation Plan Alternate Reporting 19
VIII. Public and Professional Feedback 19
A. CMUA – Wildfire Preparedness, Response and Recovery Working Group 19 B. Public Input Process 19
TABLE OF CONTENTS
VMUS Wildfire Mitigation Plan
1 A. Utility Description and Context Setting Table
Victorville Municipal Utility Services (VMUS) is only a distributor and does not own or operate any generating plants. The service area for Victorville Municipal Utility Services only includes the Southern California Logistics Airport (“SCLA”) and the Foxborough Industrial Park. VMUS only serves commercial and industrial customers. Southern California Edison serves all of the residents of the City of Victorville, and any commercial / industrial customer not located within the VMUS territory.
Victorville Municipal Utility Services’ overarching goal is to provide safe, reliable, and economic electric service to its service territories. In order to meet this goal, VMUS constructs, maintains, and operates its electrical lines and equipment in a manner that minimizes the risk of catastrophic wildfire posed by its electrical lines and equipment.
Table 1: Context-Setting Information
Utility Name Victorville Municipal Utility Services (VMUS) Service Territory Size 6 square miles
Owned Assets ☐ Transmission ☒ Distribution ☐ Generation Number of Customers
Served
95 metered accounts
Population Within Service
Territory
N/A people
Customer Class Makeup
Number of Accounts Share of Total Load (MWh)
0% Residential;
0% Government;
0% Agricultural;
0% Small/Medium Business;
100% Commercial/Industrial
0% Residential;
0% Government;
0% Agricultural;
0% Small/Medium Business;
100% Commercial/Industrial
Service Territory
Location/Topography1
0% Agriculture
0% Barren/Other
0% Conifer Forest
0% Conifer Woodland
99% Desert
0% Hardwood Forest
0% Hardwood Woodland
0% Herbaceous
0% Shrub
1% Urban
0% Water
Service Territory 0% Wildland Urban Interface;
0% Wildland Urban Intermix;
1 This data shall be based on the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, California Multi-Source Vegetation Layer Map, depicting WHR13 Types (Wildlife Habitat Relationship classes grouped into 13 major land cover types) available at: https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=b7ec5d68d8114b1fb2bfbf4665989eb3.
I. UTILITY OVERVIEW AND CONTEXT
VMUS Wildfire Mitigation Plan
2 Wildland Urban Interface2
(based on total area)
Percent of Service
Territory in CPUC High Fire
Threat Districts (based on
total area)
☒Includes maps
Tier 2: 0%
Tier 3: 0%
Prevailing Wind Directions
& Speeds by Season
☒ Includes maps
Winter (Dec., Jan., and Feb.): Wind direction is North/Northeast with an average speed of 4.3K or 4.95 MPH.
Spring (Mar., April, and May): Wind direction is North/Northeast with an average speed of 6K or 6.9 MPH.
Summer (June, July, and Aug.): Wind direction is North/Northeast with an average speed of 5.3K or 6.1 MPH.
Fall (Sept., Oct., and Nov.): Wind direction is North/Northeast with an average speed of 4.3K or 4.95 MPH.
Miles of Owned Lines
Underground and/or
Overhead
Overhead Dist.: 0.06 miles
Overhead Trans.: 0 miles
Underground Dist.: 25.2 miles
Underground Trans.: 0 miles
Explanatory Note 1 – Measurements in Circuit Miles.
Explanatory Note 2 – VMUS owns the electrical infrastructure that is all underground and services industrial and commercial customers only.
Percent of Owned Lines in
CPUC High Fire Threat
Districts
Overhead Distribution Lines as % of Total Distribution System (Inside and Outside Service Territory)
Tier 2: 0%
Tier 3: 0%
Overhead Transmission Lines as % of Total Transmission System (Inside and Outside Service Territory)
Tier 2: 0%
Tier 3: 0%
Customers have ever lost
service due to an IOU PSPS
event?
☐ Yes ☒ No
Have customers ever been
notified of a potential loss
of service to due to a
forecasted IOU PSPS
event?
☐ Yes ☒ No
Has developed protocols
to pre-emptively shut off
electricity in response to
elevated wildfire risks?
☐ Yes ☒ No
2 This data shall be based on the definitions and maps maintained by the United States Department of Agriculture, as most recently assembled in The 2010 Wildland-Urban Interface of the Conterminous United States, available at https://www.fs.fed.us/nrs/pubs/rmap/rmap_nrs8.pdf.
VMUS Wildfire Mitigation Plan
3 Has previously pre-
emptively shut off
electricity in response to
elevated wildfire risk?
☐ Yes ☒ No
If yes, then provide the following data for calendar year 2023: N/A.
B. STATUTORY CROSS-REFERENCE TABLE
Table 2: Cross References to Statutory Requirements
Requirement Statutory Language Location in WMP
Persons
Responsible
PUC § 8387(b)(2)(A): An accounting of the responsibilities of persons responsible for executing the plan.
Section 3-B
Objectives of
the Plan
PUC § 8387(b)(2)(B): The objectives of the wildfire mitigation plan.
Section 2
Page: 6
Preventive
Strategies
PUC § 8387(b)(2)(C): A description of the preventive strategies and programs to be adopted by the local publicly owned
electric utility or electrical cooperative to minimize the risk of its electrical lines and equipment causing catastrophic wildfires, including consideration of dynamic climate change risks.
Section 5
Evaluation
Metrics
PUC § 8387(b)(2)(D): A description of the metrics the local publicly owned electric utility or electrical cooperative plans to use to evaluate the wildfire mitigation plan’s performance and the assumptions that underlie the use of those metrics.
Section 7-A
Impact of
Metrics
PUC § 8387(b)(2)(E): A discussion of how the application of previously identified metrics to previous wildfire mitigation plan performances has informed the wildfire mitigation plan.
Section 7-B
De-energization
Protocols
PUC § 8387(b)(2)(F): Protocols for disabling reclosers and deenergizing portions of the electrical distribution system that consider the associated impacts on public safety, as well as protocols related to mitigating the public safety impacts of those protocols, including impacts on critical first responders and on health and communication infrastructure.
Section 5-E & F
Customer
Notification
Procedures
PUC § 8387(b)(2)(G): Appropriate and feasible procedures for notifying a customer who may be impacted by the deenergizing of electrical lines. The procedures shall consider the need to notify, as a priority, critical first responders, health care facilities, and operators of telecommunications infrastructure.
Section 6
Vegetation
Management
PUC § 8387(b)(2)(H): Plans for vegetation management. Section 5-C
Inspections
PUC § 8387(b)(2)(I): Plans for inspections of the local publicly owned electric utility’s or electrical cooperative’s electrical infrastructure.
Section 5-D
VMUS Wildfire Mitigation Plan
4 Prioritization of
Wildfire Risks
PUC § 8387(b)(2)(J): A list that identifies, describes, and prioritizes all wildfire risks, and drivers for those risks, throughout the local publicly owned electric utility’s or electrical cooperative’s service territory. The list shall include, but not be limited to, both of the following:
(i) Risks and risk drivers associated with design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the local publicly owned electric utility’s or electrical cooperative’s equipment and facilities.
(ii) Particular risks and risk drivers associated with topographic and climatological risk factors throughout the different parts of the local publicly owned electric u
tility’s or electrical cooperative’s service territory.
Section 4
CPUC Fire
Threat Map
Adjustments
PUC § 8387(b)(2)(K): Identification of any geographic area in the local publicly owned electric utility’s or electrical cooperative’s service territory that is a higher wildfire threat than is identified in a commission fire threat map, and identification of where the commission should expand a high fire threat district based on new information or changes to the environment.
Section 5-A
Enterprise-wide
Risks
PUC § 8387(b)(2)(L): A methodology for identifying and
presenting enterprise-wide safety risk and wildfire-related risk.
Section 4-B
Restoration of
Service
PUC § 8387(b)(2)(M): A statement of how the local publicly owned electric utility or electrical cooperative will restore service after a wildfire.
Section 6
Monitor and
Audit
PUC § 8387(b)(2)(N): A description of the processes and procedures the local publicly owned electric utility or electrical cooperative shall use to do all of the following:
(i) Monitor and audit the implementation of the wildfire mitigation plan.
(ii) Identify any deficiencies in the wildfire mitigation plan or its implementation and correct those deficiencies.
(iii) Monitor and audit the effectiveness of electrical line and equipment inspections, including inspections
performed by contractors, that are carried out under the plan, other applicable statutes, or commission rules.
Section 7-C
VMUS Wildfire Mitigation Plan
5 Qualified
Independent
Evaluator
PUC § 8387(c): The local publicly owned electric utility or electrical cooperative shall contract with a qualified
independent evaluator with experience in assessing the safe operation of electrical infrastructure to review and assess the comprehensiveness of its wildfire mitigation plan. The
independent evaluator shall issue a report that shall be made available on the Internet Web site of the local publicly owned electric utility or electrical cooperative and shall present the report at a public meeting of the local publicly owned electric utility’s or electrical cooperative’s governing board.
https://www.victorvil
leca.gov/home/show
publisheddocument/
4157/637262615505
930000
C. PROCESS FOR ADOPTION AND SUBMITTAL OF VMUS’ ANNUAL WMP AND
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
VMUS is governed by the Victorville City Council. The Wildfire Mitigation Plan (WMP) is presented to City Council for adoption. Due to the adoption of the Plan not requiring a notice of public hearing or any special noticing requirements, the noticing of the Plan follows the City’s standards per the Brown Act. The agenda is posted a week in advance and members of the public are given the opportunity to speak freely on any item on the agenda for three minutes. Members of the public are given three minutes to speak on their items; at the time of the plan’s adoption, there were no speakers.
D. DESCRIPTION OF WHERE WMP INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON THE CITY OF
VICTORVILLE WEBSITE
Victorville Municipal Utility Service’s current and historical Wildfire Mitigation Plans are available on the City of Victorville’s website ( https://www.victorvilleca.gov/government/city- departments/utilities/electric/vmus-electric/wildfire-mitigation-plan)). Once on the City’s website, Utilities can be found under the listing of City departments. The Wildfire Mitigation Plans, both past and present, can be accessed by following the link to the Utility’s Electric forms and publications.
E. PURPOSE OF THE WILDFIRE MITIGATION PLAN
Victorville Municipal Utility Services’ electric supply system is located underground in conduit and vaults.
Historically, undergrounded electric lines have not been associated with catastrophic wildfires. The undergrounding of electric lines serves as an effective mitigation measure to reduce the potential of power- line ignited wildfires. Based on a review of local conditions and historical fires, VMUS has determined that its electrical lines and equipment do not pose a significant risk of catastrophic wildfire.
Despite this low risk, VMUS takes appropriate actions to help its region prevent and respond to the increasing risk of devastating wildfires. In its role as a public agency, VMUS closely coordinates with other local safety and emergency officials to help protect against fires and respond to emergencies. In its role as a utility, VMUS follows all applicable design, construction, operation, and maintenance requirements that reduce safety risks associated with its system. This Wildfire Mitigation Plan describes the safety-related measures that VMUS follows to reduce its risk of causing wildfires.
VMUS Wildfire Mitigation Plan
6 F. ORGANIZATION OF THE WILDFIRE MITIGATION PLAN
This Wildfire Mitigation Plan includes the following elements:
Utility Overview and Context
Objectives of the Plan;
Roles and Responsibilities for Carrying Out the Plan; Identification of Key Wildfire Risks and Risk Drivers; Description of Wildfire Prevention, Mitigation, and Response Strategies and Programs; Metrics for Evaluating the Performance of the Plan and Identifying Areas for Improvement;
Historical Results for Metrics;
Description of Community Outreach and Education
The primary goal of this Wildfire Mitigation Plan is to describe VMUS’ existing programs, practices, and measures that effectively reduce the probability that VMUS’ electric supply system could be the origin or contributing source for the ignition of a wildfire. To support this goal, VMUS regularly evaluates the prudent and cost-effective improvements to its physical assets, operations, and training that can help reduce the risk of equipment-related fires.
The secondary goal of this Wildfire Mitigation Plan is to improve the resilience of the electric grid. As part of the development of this plan, VMUS assesses new industry practices and technologies that will reduce the likelihood of an interruption (frequency) in service and improve the restoration (duration) of service.
II. OBJECTIVES OF THE WILDFIRE MITIGATION PLAN
VMUS Wildfire Mitigation Plan
7 A. UTILITY GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE
The City of Victorville is a general law city that operates under a Council-Manager form of government.
VMUS is governed by a five-member City Council. The council appoints the City Manager, who oversees the daily operations of the City.
B. WILDFIRE PREVENTION
VMUS staff is responsible for electric facility design, maintenance, and inspection, including vegetation management. Although VMUS’ electrical distribution system is 100% underground, VMUS follows best practices to prevent ignition of wildfires from its equipment. These items include:
VMUS performs routine maintenance of all distribution facilities. VMUS adheres to a seasonal weed abatement and vegetation management schedule to maintain at-risk sites.
VMUS maintains appropriate GO95, GO165, and GO174 standard clearances as part of regular maintenance cycles for a completely undergrounded utility. VMUS abides by the National Electric Safety Code (NESC) Rule 012 and Rule 218 standards to abate trees, shrubs, weeds, and grass at all VMUS facilities. Electric system operates in a manner that will minimize potential wildfire risks. Take all reasonable and practicable actions to minimize the risk of a catastrophic wildfire caused by VMUS electric facilities.
Coordinate with federal, state, and local fire management personnel as necessary or III. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
VMUS Wildfire Mitigation Plan
8 appropriate to implement VMUS’ Wildfire Mitigation Plan. Immediately report fires to local fire departments, VMUS administration, and other City Officials, pursuant to existing VMUS practices and the requirements of this Wildfire Mitigation Plan.
Coordinate with City Emergency Operations Center to disseminate safety warnings, emergency public information, and evacuation notices to local businesses. VMUS adheres to City of Victorville personnel code 2.36 for Employee Disaster Notification and Reporting.
Take corrective action when the staff witnesses or is notified that fire protection measures have not been properly installed or maintained.
Comply with relevant federal, state, and industry standard requirements, including the industry standards established by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).
Strategies for mitigating general wildfire spread, such as building standards and community-wide vegetation management standards, are developed, and enforced by state and local government entities with the appropriate authority. VMUS, in its role as an electric utility, does not have authority over these strategies and the WMP is not an appropriate planning document for developing these requirements.
Instead, VMUS will follow the requirements and guidance of the appropriate authorities.
C. WILDFIRE RESPONSE AND RECOVERY
VMUS field staff utilize hard line telephones, cellular telephones, and portable radios to communicate with internal and external stakeholders during an outage or emergency. VMUS’ Outage Management System auto generates notifications to field and administrative staff. The City of Victorville maintains a two-way UHF band radios for communications enhanced by two DMR repeaters to extend the coverage area. The City radios can have up to 1,024 channels; of which twenty are currently programmed channels (eleven use repeaters and nine are simplex).
The City of Victorville owns one Iridium satellite phone that is issued to the City’s Emergency Management Coordinator or his designee during an emergency. VMUS, along with other key City personnel, have access to a Government Emergency Telecommunications Services (GETS) card and PIN provided by Homeland Security to allow for the capability to respond to National Security and Emergency Preparedness (NS/EP) events. Using the Wireless Priority Services (WPS) with GETS can increase the probability of call completion in both wireless and wireline networks.
In addition to the City of Victorville Fire Department, Mission Fire Rescue (Mission) services the Southern California Logistics Airport. VMUS and airport staff are able to communicate with Mission Fire Rescue through 400-megahertz radios or by calling their station directly. Additionally, the control tower has a direct line to Mission’s fire station, which rings throughout the station and opens the bay doors alerting them of an emergency.
CONFIRE provides dispatch services for the City of Victorville Fire Department and Mission. They have the capability of patching in the Apple Valley Fire Protection District, CAL FIRE, and contacting several other agencies such as Southwest Gas, Southern California Edison, AMR and other local agencies to assist in an emergency. CONFIRE also functions as the operational area dispatch for the County of San Bernardino and can coordinate mutual aid as needed.
At the county level, a San Bernardino County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) talk group is programmed into an 800-megahertz frequency band radio and is used to communicate with EOCs within San Bernardino County during a disaster or emergency. The City of Victorville contracts with San Bernardino County Sheriffs. They too utilize 800-megahertz frequency band radios to communicate and
VMUS Wildfire Mitigation Plan
9 have the capability to patch in California Highway Patrol, CAL FIRE, and other county resources to assist during emergencies.
The City of Victorville also maintains a reporting hotline to notify the City of code violations, hazards, safety concerns, and overgrown landscaping and weeds. Additionally, the City allows its constituency to report any code violations online via the City’s website. VMUS adheres to California Public Utility Commission GO 95, 165, and 174 for all system infrastructure inspection, maintenance, and reporting.
D. STANDARDIZED EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
As a local governmental agency3, VMUS has planning, communication, and coordination obligations pursuant to the California Office of Emergency Services’ Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) Regulations4, adopted in accordance with Government Code section 8607. Any communications by VMUS during an active emergency, such as a wildfire, will be in accordance with SEMS and will be at the direction of the entity responsible for disseminating information about the emergency.
The SEMS Regulations specify roles, responsibilities, and structures of communications at five different levels: field response, local government, operational area, regional, and state.5 Pursuant to this structure, VMUS coordinates and communicates with the relevant safety agencies as well as other relevant local and state agencies. When activated, VMUS serves as the Utilities Unit Leader under the Operations Section Chief as part of the City Victorville Emergency Operations Center. In the event that the incident centered on VMUS facilities, VMUS would serve as the Operations Section Chief.
Under the SEMS structure, a significant amount of preparation is done through advanced planning at the county level, including the coordination of effort of public, private, and nonprofit organizations. San Bernardino County serves as the Operational Area and is guided by the California Office of Emergency Services Southern Region. The Operational Area includes local and regional organizations that bring relevant expertise to the wildfire prevention and recovery planning process. These participants are listed below:
Agency Address Contact Phone No.
AMR, American Medical
Response
14828 7th Street
Victorville, CA 92392
Administration 760.952.7400
Kaiser Permanente High Desert
Medical Offices
14011 Park Ave.
Victorville, CA 92392
Administration 833.574.2273
St. Mary’s Hospital Medical
Center
18300 Highway 18
Apple Valley, CA 92307
Administration 760.242.2311
3 As defined in Cal. Gov. Code § 8680.2
4 19 CCR § 2407
5 Ca. Gov. Code § 2403(b):
[1] “Field response level” commands emergency response personnel and resources to carry out tactical decisions and activities in direct response to an incident or threat. [2] “Local government level” manages and coordinates the overall emergency response and recovery activities within their jurisdiction.
[3] “Operational area level” manages and/or coordinates information, resources, and priorities among local governments within the operational area and serves as the coordination and communication link between the local government level and the regional level.
[4] “Regional level” manages and coordinates information and resources among operational areas within the mutual aid region designated pursuant to Government Code §8600 and between the operational areas and the state level. This level along with the state level coordinates overall state agency support for emergency response activities. [5] “State level” manages state resources in response to the emergency needs of the other levels, manages and coordinates mutual aid among the mutual aid regions and between the regional level and state level, and serves as the coordination and communication link with the federal disaster response system.
VMUS Wildfire Mitigation Plan
10 Desert Valley Hospital 16850 Bear Valley Rd.
Victorville, CA 92395
Administration 760.241.8000
Victorville Municipal Utility
Services
18374 Phantom West
Victorville, CA 92394
Hotline 877.760.8687
Victorville Municipal Utility
Services
18374 Phantom West
Victorville, CA 92394
Administration 760.243.6340
Victorville Municipal Utility
Services – Management
18374 Phantom West
Victorville, CA 92394
Director of Utilities 760.243.6341
Victorville Fire Department 14343 Civic Drive
Victorville, CA 92392
Fire Chief 760.955.5233
Victorville Fire Department 14343 Civic Drive
Victorville, CA 92392
Division Chief 760.955.5231
Victorville Fire Department 14343 Civic Drive
Victorville, CA 92392
Emergency Medical
Services Coordinator
760.955.5237
Victorville Fire Department 14343 Civic Drive
Victorville, CA 92392
Emergency Management
Coordinator
760.243.6344
SCLA – Airport Operations 18374 Phantom West
Victorville, CA 92394
Hotline 760.243.1915
SCLA Management
18374 Phantom West
Victorville, CA 92394
Airport Director 760.243.1910
Victorville – Police Department
14176 Amargosa Rd.
Victorville, CA 92392
Police Chief 760.241.2911
Victorville – Public Works 14177 Mc Art Rd.
Victorville, CA 92392
Director 760.243.6332
Victorville – City Management 14343 Civic Drive
Victorville, CA 92392
City Manager
760.955.5029
Victorville – City Management 14343 Civic Drive
Victorville, CA 92392
PIO 760.955.5028
Victorville – Traffic &
Transportation
14343 Civic Drive
Victorville, CA 92392
Traffic Engineer 800.472.2376
San Bernardino County: Dept. of
Environmental Health
385 N. Arrowhead Ave. #2
San Bernardino, CA 92415
Administration 800.442.2283
Mission Aviation Fire Rescue 400 Ramona Ave.
Suite 210
Corona, CA 92879
Administration 844.321.2733
Mission Aviation Fire Rescue –
Station 319
18550 Readiness St.
Victorville, CA 92394
Fire Chief 760.246.6479
Pursuant to the SEMS structure, VMUS participates in annual training exercises. Training exercises include workshops and tabletop exercises. A sample of topics covered includes earthquake safety, disaster response & management, and NIMS/SEMS/ICS compliance.
VMUS Wildfire Mitigation Plan
11 A. PARTICULAR RISKS AND RISK DRIVERS ASSOCIATED WITH
TOPOGRAPHIC AND CLIMATOLOGIAL RISK FACTORS
Due to VMUS’s distribution system being 100% underground, the primary risk drivers for wildfire within VMUS’s service territory are the following:
Earthquake
Flooding
B. ENTERPRISE-WIDE SAFETY RISKS
Earthquake profile - There are two major faults/fault zones that directly affect VMUS. They are the San Andreas Fault and the Helendale Fault zones. The City of Victorville sits in the middle of both faults. The San Andreas Fault is the longest fault in California and is known to cause powerful earthquakes, as big as a magnitude eight (8.0).6 This fault is located south-west of Victorville. The Helendale Fault creates smaller, yet more frequent earthquakes and is located northeast of the city. The most recent major earthquake to affect the City of Victorville was the Ridgecrest earthquake, approximately 82 miles north of the city. This earthquake struck July 5, 2019, and had a magnitude of 7.1.
Large earthquakes occurring in many parts of the Southern California region could affect the City of Victorville. However, the degree to which the earthquakes are felt, and the damage associated with them may vary. At risk from earthquake damage are critical facilities, buildings, bridges, highways and roads; hazardous materials facilities; sewer, water, natural gas pipelines; earth dams; petroleum pipelines; and private property located in the city. The relative or secondary earthquake hazards, which are liquefaction, ground shaking, amplification, and earthquake-induced landslides, can be just as devastating as the earthquake.
Flooding profile - There are four types of flooding conditions that exist within the City of Victorville area; flooding in defined watercourses; ponding; sheet flow; and dam inundation. Flooding within defined watercourses occurs within drainage channels and immediately adjacent floodplains. Ponding occurs when water flow is obstructed due to manmade obstacles and other roadways, where they cross-defined watercourses. Sheet flow occurs when capacities of defined water courses are exceeded, and water flows over broad areas.
Known flood-prone areas noted in the General Plan as well as recorded in city maintenance files, include:
DIR STREET DISTANCE DIRECTION CROSS STREET DIR
N/S Rancho Rd Manning St W/B
S/S Rancho Rd 100 E/O EL Evado Rd E/B
W/S Enramada Rd 100 N/O Cahuenga Rd S/B
E/S Enramada Rd 150 S/O Cahuenga Rd S/B
E/S Cahuenga Rd 150 N/O Hopland St N/B
/S El Evado Figueroa Rd S/B
6 https://www.earthquakeauthority.com/California-Earthquake-Risk/Faults-By-County IV. WILDFIRE RISKS AND DRIVERS ASSOCIATED WITH DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, OPERATION, AND MAINTENANCE
VMUS Wildfire Mitigation Plan
12 E/S El Evado 100 N/O Tawney Ridge Ln N/B
S/S Clovis St 350 W/O Orick Pl E/B
N/S Clovis St Orick Pl W/B
N/S Eto Camino Rd 25 E/O Barranca Way W/B
S/S Eto Camino Rd 25 E/O Cazadero Rd E/B
S/S Tawney Ridge Ln 20 E/O Sueno Ln E/B
N/S Tawney Ridge Ln GreenHill Dr. W/B
N/S La Mesa Rd 40 W/O Pacoima Rd W/B
E/S Amethyst Rd 100 S/O Sierra Rd N/B
S/S Bear Valley Rd 300 E/O Amethyst Rd N/B
N/S Bear Valley Rd 150 W/O Dunia Rd W/B
W/S Avalon Rd 20 N/O Molino Dr. S/B
E/S Avalon Rd 75 N/O Hughes Rd N/B
N/S Hughes Rd 150 E/O Avalon Rd W/B
S/S Hughes Rd 700 W/O Avalon Rd E/B
S/S Pebble Beach Dr. 25 W/O Arrowhead Dr. E/B
N/S Pebble Beach Dr. 300 E/O Arrowhead Dr. W/B
W/S 1st Ave Talpa St S/B
N/S 1st Ave 50 E/O Dean Ave W/B
W/S 2nd Ave 50 S/O Talpa St S/B
E/S 2nd Ave 25 N/O Kayuga St N/B
N/S Kayuga St 50 W/O 2nd Ave W/B
S/S Kayuga St 50 E/O 3rd Ave E/B
S/S Ponca St 50 E/O 3rd Ave E/B
N/S Ponca St 25 W/O 2nd Ave W/B
E/S Dean Ave 100 S/O Calcite Ave N/B
W/S Dean Ave 50 N/O Grant St S/B
W/S Calcite Ave 25 N/O Calcite Pl S/B
E/S Calcite Ave 300 S/O Dean Ave N/B
W/S Cobalt Rd 25 S/O Palmdale Rd S/B
E/S Cobalt Rd 25 N/O Cameron St N/B
N/S Luna Rd 200 W/O Topaz Rd W/B
S/S Luna Rd 200 E/O HWY 395 E/B
W/S Cantina Dr. 100 S/O La Mesa Rd S/B
E/S Cantina Dr. 400 N/O Bear Valley Rd N/B
S/S Bear Valley Rd 300 E/O HWY 395 E/B
S/S Bear Valley Rd 400 E/O Topaz Rd E/B
VMUS Wildfire Mitigation Plan
13 N/S Bear Valley Rd 500 E/O Topaz Rd W/B
W/S Cobalt Rd 500 N/O Bear Valley Rd S/B
W/S Cobalt Rd 50 S/O Bear Valley Rd S/B
E/S Cobalt Rd Homestead Dr. N/B
E/S Cobalt Rd 200 N/O Sycamore St N/B
S/S Sycamore St 200 E/O Richmond Ave E/B
N/S Sycamore St 20 E/O Chisholm Tr. W/B
N/S La Mesa Rd 50 W/O Wrangler Ln W/B
S/S La Mesa Rd 200 W/O Stanford Dr. E/B
S/S La Mesa Rd 100 E/O Mesa Linda Ave E/B
W/S Monte Vista Rd 300 S/O Palmdale Rd S/B
N/S Bear Valley Rd 350 W/O HWY 395 W/B
S/S Bear Valley Rd 200 E/O Monte Vista Rd E/B
E/S Monte Vista Rd 300 S/O Maricopa Rd N/B
VMUS Wildfire Mitigation Plan
14 A. LOW FIRE THREAT DISTRICT
The CPUC’s Fire Threat Map includes three Tiers/Levels of fire threat risk. Tier 1 consists of areas that have the lowest hazards and risks, tier 2 consists of areas where there is an elevated risk for destructive electric line- ignited wildfires, and tier 3 consists of areas where there is an extreme risk for destructive electric line-ignited wildfires. The City of Victorville is located in Tier 1. Despite the city’s classification of Tier 1, VMUS is cognoscente of the potential dangers; and therefore, VMUS has and will continue to construct its entire distribution system underground and limit overhead construction to sub-transmission interconnections. https://capuc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=5bdb921d747a46929d9f00dbdb6d0fa2
Additionally, VMUS customers are unlikely to be directly impacted by an investor-owned utility (IOU) public safety power shutoff (PSPS) event because VMUS is not on the Southern California Edison’s PSPS circuit.
B. DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS
VMUS’ electric facilities are designed and constructed to meet or exceed the relevant federal, state, or industry standard. VMUS treats CPUC General Orders (GO) 95 and 128 as a key industry standard for design, construction and maintenance standards for underground electrical facilities. VMUS adheres to all standards in GO 95 and 128 as appropriate for a fully undergrounded utility. Additionally, VMUS monitors and follows, as appropriate, the National Electric Safety Code.
C. VEGETATION MANAGEMENT
VMUS adheres to industry standard vegetation management practices. VMUS’ annual budget includes funding for weed abatement to ensure compliance with the standard vegetation management practices.
V. WILDFIRE PREVENTATIVE STRATEGIES
VMUS Wildfire Mitigation Plan
15 VMUS’ system is entirely undergrounded; thus the system has minimal to no vegetation risks. Any overhead construction in the VMUS system is built in areas with no vegetation. For distribution level facilities, VMUS meets: (1) Public Resources Code section 4292; (2) Public Resources Code section 4293; (3) CPUC GO 95, 128, 165, and 174.
D. INSPECTIONS
VMUS abides by the standard inspection requirements provided in CPUC GO 165 and 174 to ensure reliable, high-quality, and safe operation. As described above, VMUS currently has 7 sub-transmission power poles and no overhead distribution power lines located within or near a Tier 2 or Tier 3 Fire Threat District; however, VMUS staff uses their knowledge of the specific environmental and geographical conditions of VMUS’ service territory to determine if any particular areas require more frequent inspections.
Due to the small size of the VMUS electrical system, staff is able to inspect the entire system on an almost daily basis.
If VMUS staff discovers a facility in need of repair that is owned by an entity other than VMUS, VMUS will issue a notice to repair to the facility owner and work to ensure that necessary repairs are completed promptly.
E. RECLOSING POLICY
VMUS’ electrical system is primarily underground and has no automatic re-closures in service. In a relayed event, re-closures will be handled on a case-by-case basis after circuit and equipment inspections have been performed.
F. DE-ENERGIZATION
VMUS has the authority to preemptively shut off power due to fire-threat conditions; however, this option will only be used in extraordinary circumstances. Due to the minimal risk of VMUS’ electrical supply facilities causing a power-line ignited wildfire, VMUS is not adopting specific protocols for de-energizing any portions of its electric distribution system. VMUS will re-evaluate this determination and will update this Wildfire Mitigation Plan as needed.
G. COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND PUBLIC AWARENESS
Due to the small proximity of our customer base, we are able to keep in close contact with our customers via email or phone call. Our Customer Contact list is updated annually to ensure that the contact information that is on file is the most up to date. We utilize this contact list to inform our customers of any planned outages and to deliver any other pertinent information.
VMUS Wildfire Mitigation Plan
16 VMUS’ electric distribution system is completely underground. However, we are interconnected with SCE’s transmission and distribution systems, much of which is overhead and exposed to wind, rain and lightning.
This is our primary source of vulnerability to potential electrical service interruptions during rain and windstorms such as the ones that can be precipitated by El Niño.
Our underground electric distribution system has been designed, and is constructed, with redundant sources of feed. These do not guarantee the elimination of outages but can facilitate service restoration and reduce the duration of such outages. VMUS is in compliance with all relevant federal, state and local resource planning standards, including contingencies for generation and transmission losses or outages due to any unplanned event.
Preparation in advance of predicted storms: Since, as discussed in the introduction, our primary trouble source during storms is outages on SCE’s transmission and distribution lines, many of which are overhead, we will patrol, to the extent practical, SCE’s primary interconnect lines for any potential trouble spots or vulnerabilities. We will also double-check the loading conditions of our underground lines to satisfy ourselves that alternative sources have the capacity to serve the electric load (customers) in the event that it is necessary.
Our underground system will be patrolled in advance of storms for any open trenches or excavations at construction sites to minimize water intrusion into the underground system. Although the underground system is designed to operate under such conditions, small pinholes in splices or cable can cause problems, including possible electrical shorts/faults that can interrupt service to customers. Likewise, after the storm, each underground vault, manhole or other structure will be inspected for water intrusion and pumped, when necessary, in accordance proper utility practice and environmental guidelines.
All vehicular equipment, tools, and appurtenances will be thoroughly inspected for proper operation. All operating personnel will be placed on standby in the event of weather-related problems. The VMUS operations and admin staff will be prepared for handling trouble calls from customers and dispatching to field personnel.
Call Center support includes:
• Outage Management System (OMS)
• Field Dispatching
• Coordinating with VMUS’ Qualified Emergency Electrical contractors
• Customer Callbacks
Response Prioritization:
• First Priority: Response to imminent threats to life and/or public property
• Second Priority: Removals of immediate hazards (fallen trees, power poles, etc.)
• Third Priority: Clearing of arterial roadways
• Fourth Priority: Maintenance of traffic control/closures to prevent potential accidents VI. RESTORATION OF SERVICE
VMUS Wildfire Mitigation Plan
17 • Fifth Priority (Post Storm Activity): Follow-up work such as addressing storm-related potholes and residual clean-up of all streets that have remained in a "passable and drivable" state
Referral Protocol:
• Flooding of structures on private property- Businesses will be advised to call 911 for Fire Department assistance
• Facilities associated with private utilities will be referred to appropriate company • All storm related issues involving streets, curbs and gutters, sidewalks, trees in the right of way, catch basins, and miscellaneous drainage facilities will be referred to the City’s Maintenance and Operations Division.
During EOC activation period, all routine maintenance programs and requests will be suspended and deferred.
A. METRICS AND ASSUMPTIONS FOR MEASURING PLAN PERFORMANCE
VMUS will track the following metric to measure the performance of this Wildfire Mitigation Plan:
Number of fire ignitions caused by utility equipment.
1. Metric 1: FIRE IGNITIONS
For purposes of this metric, a fire ignition is defined as follows:
VMUS facility was associated with the fire;
The fire was self-propagating and of a material other than electrical and/or communication facilities;
The resulting fire traveled greater than one linear meter from the ignition point; and VMUS has knowledge that the fire occurred.
Should any fires occur in the VMUS service areas, VMUS will provide the number of fires that occurred that were less than one (1) acre in size within VMUS’ service territory. Any fires greater than one acre will be individually described. This Wildfire Mitigation Plan will be reassessed, and updates will be made accordingly.
VII. PLAN EVALUATION
VMUS Wildfire Mitigation Plan
18 B. Metrics Table
C. MONITORING AND AUDITING THE PLAN
This Wildfire Mitigation Plan was presented and adopted by the Victorville City Council on June 18, 2024.
This adopted plan will serve as a foundational document, with VMUS staff reviewing the plan on an annual basis and presenting to Council for adoption only when substantive changes have been made.
D. IDENTIFYING AND CORRECTING DEFICIENCIES IN THE PLAN
VMUS does not own or control any overhead electric supply facilities in a High Fire Threat District (HFTD). There has been no need to correct or change any processes of the plan due to zero wildfire threats causing outages or ignitions. VMUS will continue to evaluate the plan by utilizing the above Performance Metrics table. Any deficiencies identified during subsequent reviews and independent evaluations of the plan will be promptly corrected.
E. MONITORING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INSPECTIONS
VMUS’ Utility Maintenance Management System (UMMS) is used to collect all data subject to GO165.
Quarterly inspection and maintenance reports are generated for all electric distribution facilities.
Maintenance history for each piece of equipment is archived in the UMMS. Additionally, VMUS’ substation inspection and maintenance programs comply with GO174 guidelines as well as manufacturer specifications, standards, and recommendations. VMUS performs regular inspections of all substation components including recording and analysis of all alarms, fluid levels, meters, and Load Tap Changer settings.
Although VMUS does not fall under the jurisdiction of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), VMUS would cooperate with the CPUC’s Utilities Safety and Reliability Branch and their requests for periodic audits.
G. WILDFIRE MITIGATION PLAN ALTERNATIVE REPORTING
VMUS Wildfire Mitigation Plan
19 CPUC requires POUs to submit WMPs to the Wildfire Safety Advisory Board (WSAB) every year, regardless of the relative wildfire risk faced by the POU. After reviewing the 2023 Wildfire Mitigation Plans, the WSAB has developed an alternative reporting option allowing POUs without overhead electric supply facilities in the HFTD to use the most recently adopted WMP as a base and to submit a supplemental letter with the WMP to WSAB describing the unchanged status of their WMP. Furthermore, the POUs will need to regularly evaluate their wildfire risk and determine if there are any substantial changes needed. Should any updates be needed the POUs will present the updated WMP to Council for adoption and submit to WSAB utilizing a revision log showing all changes made to the WMP.
A. CMUA – Wildfire Preparedness, Response and Recovery Working Group The California Municipal Utilities Association (CMUA) annually holds a special meeting of its Wildfire Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Working Group, which focuses on risk drivers for powerline caused catastrophic wildfires and innovative mitigation options. CMUA invites a broad range of utility staff, state agency staff, including the WSAB, industry experts, and academics to participate in this discussion. As part of this meeting, the working group discusses unidentified wildfire risk drivers and mitigation measures that could address these risks. Based on the input provided during this meeting, CMUA produces a publicly available, post-meeting report that summarizes the group’s conclusions and recommendations. VMUS’ staff participates in CMUA’s meetings and will discuss any changes that VMUS has made to its operations in response to the conclusions and recommendations of the working group in a future WMP.
B. Public Input Process
VMUS is governed by the Victorville City Council. This plan is brought forth to the City Council and members of the public as a foundational document for review and public comment. Due to the adoption of the plan not requiring a notice of public hearing or any special noticing requirements, the noticing of the plan follows the City’s standards per the Brown Act. The agenda is posted a week in advance and members of the public are given the opportunity to speak freely about any item on the agenda for three minutes.
1 Appendix I: 2021 Informational Response has been removed as the information has been incorporated into the overall plan, per the California Wildfire Safety Advisory Board.
VIII. Public & Professional Feedback