UTILITY RISK MITIGATION > Before a Wildfire
Before a Wildfire
Chloeta helps utility companies take proactive steps to reduce wildfire risk and strengthen system resilience before a wildfire occurs. Our expert teams collaborate with customers to develop tailored strategies that address infrastructure vulnerabilities, regulatory compliance, and environmental hazards. Through a comprehensive approach that blends technical consulting, field operations, and advanced analytics, we equip utilities to protect assets, ensure continuity, and stay ahead of evolving wildfire threats.
Utility Vegetation Management (UVM)
Chloeta works closely with utility companies to develop comprehensive Vegetation Management Plans (VMPs) that are tailored to meet regulatory requirements and reduce wildfire risk. Our team of experts collaborates with each customer to identify high-risk areas and create strategic plans that address vegetation hazards near critical infrastructure, ensuring both compliance and enhanced safety. With our in-depth understanding of wildfire behavior and environmental factors, we help design VMPs that prioritize effective mitigation and long-term resilience.
Once a plan is developed, Chloeta assists with implementation strategies, offering guidance on best practices for ongoing monitoring and periodic evaluations. We ensure that VMPs are adaptable to evolving conditions and align with the latest industry standards, helping utility companies maintain a proactive approach to wildfire risk. Our focus on planning and continuous improvement ensures the effective reduction of vegetation-related threats and protection of assets from the growing risk of wildfires.
Further UVM services include:
Tree Risk Assessment & Mitigation
Fuels Management & Reduction
Pole Clearance Program & Compliance
Vegetation-Caused Outage Analysis & Targeted UVM
Wildfire Mitigation Plans (WMPs)
Chloeta is well-positioned to support utilities in California with wildfire compliance through comprehensive consulting services across all seven primary focus areas. By leveraging subject matter expertise in emergency management, wildfire operations, regulatory policy, and infrastructure risk mitigation, Chloeta can assist utilities in navigating and implementing the complex requirements set by regulatory agencies. These services can include the development, review, and performance tracking of Wildfire Mitigation Plans (WMPs); strategic analysis and operational support for Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) protocols; and technical assistance in configuring and auditing Protective Equipment & Device Settings (PEDS).
Key compliance support offerings include:
WMP development and quarterly tracking to align with regulatory standards as well as Independent Evaluation services of WMPs composed by other consultants.
PSPS readiness planning and communication strategies, especially for vulnerable populations.
Vegetation management and grid hardening planning, including risk-based prioritization and audit prep.
Incident response investigation, ignition tracking, and root cause analysis in support of regulatory inquiries.
Performance metric development and safety culture evaluation, based on outcome-based oversight models.
PEDS configuration guidance and reporting support to ensure protective device settings minimize wildfire risk.
Regulatory liaison and compliance roadmap creation, helping utilities stay ahead of enforcement and audit findings.
Grant-Funded Program Support
Chloeta partners with utility companies to help navigate and maximize opportunities available through federal and state-funded programs aimed at strengthening grid resilience, advancing wildfire mitigation, and expanding access to reliable energy sources. Our team provides strategic guidance and technical expertise across every stage of the process, including grant application development, project design, compliance, reporting, and long-term implementation planning.
With extensive experience working alongside utility companies, government agencies, and community stakeholders, we help ensure your organization is positioned to secure funding and execute impactful projects that enhance system reliability, protect communities, and advance infrastructure goals. This proven approach enables full leverage of available resources to build stronger, more resilient energy systems that serve both immediate and future needs.
Chloeta provides guidance and support for programs including:
Grid Enhancements & System Design
Increasing wildfire resiliency begins with hardy grid design strategies that strengthen infrastructure, reduce vulnerabilities, and ensure reliable service under extreme conditions. Chloeta works closely with utility companies to strengthen and safeguard grid infrastructure against the growing threat of wildfires.
Our team provides expertise in grid enhancements and system design improvements that bolster resilience and reliability across utility networks. We help utilities plan and implement physical upgrades, infrastructure improvements, and system-wide modifications that minimize vulnerability and improve long-term performance. By optimizing network designs and integrating advanced monitoring systems, wildfire risks are proactively mitigated while maintaining operational continuity.
Key strategies include:
Fire-Wise Siting
Fire Hardened Design & Construction
Ignition-Prone Equipment & Facilities Alternatives
Pole Loading & Clearance Adequacy Assessments
Asset Degradation Modeling
Underground Design
Wildfire Hardening
Chloeta delivers wildfire hardening strategies that proactively mitigate wildfire risks while ensuring operational continuity. This includes integrating fire-resistant materials, protective barriers, and other fire-hardened solutions to protect critical assets. Whether retrofitting existing facilities or designing new systems with wildfire resilience in mind, Chloeta’s comprehensive approach provides practical, proven solutions to maintain service reliability and meet evolving regulatory requirements confidently.
Key wildfire hardening services include:
Asset Inventory, Inspection & Condition Assessment: Conduct detailed surveys and evaluations of utility assets, such as poles, transformers, and conductors, to document condition, identify vulnerabilities, and inform risk-based wildfire mitigation planning.
Retrofit Work Prioritization, Implementation & Auditing: Support the development of retrofit schedules based on wildfire exposure, manage implementation efforts, and perform audits to ensure quality control and regulatory compliance.
Asset Protection Analysis, Prioritization & Implementation: Analyze fire risk exposure to critical assets, develop prioritization frameworks, and implement protective measures such as defensible space creation or fire-resistant materials.
Facility Retrofitting for Fire Hardening: Plan and execute fire-hardening upgrades to utility facilities and infrastructure, including structural reinforcements, ember intrusion protections, and material improvements to withstand wildfire conditions.
Ignition Management Program (IMP): Deliver comprehensive risk assessments, vegetation management, and grid hardening strategies, including covered conductors, fire-resistant materials, and undergrounding, using real-time data and sensor technologies to reduce wildfire ignition risks from utility infrastructure.
End-of-Life (EOL) Assessment: Evaluate aging infrastructure in high-risk wildfire areas using tools like drones, lidar, and thermal imaging to identify failure risks and prioritize mitigation actions such as system hardening or targeted replacements.
Asset Management & Scheduled Inspections
Chloeta supports utility customers with expert wildfire services that enhance the resiliency of power infrastructure and maintain regulatory compliance by integrating fire risk intelligence, infrastructure integrity assessments, and values at risk assessments with field-proven inspection protocols.
Using a combination of real-time wildfire threat assessments, GIS mapping, and experienced personnel, Chloeta helps utilities prioritize inspections, protect critical assets, and ensure compliance with regulatory mandates. This proactive approach reduces downtime, mitigates risk, and improves system reliability in wildfire-prone areas.
Database Management Services
Chloeta consultants provide utility customers with specialized database management services that strengthen wildfire resilience by organizing, maintaining, and analyzing critical infrastructure, vegetation, and risk data. Our teams help consolidate data from inspections, fire modeling, and remote sensing into centralized, GIS-integrated systems to support faster decision-making and compliance reporting.
Design and build wildfire resilience dashboards that track asset exposure in real time and flag maintenance needs, enabling smarter prioritization of mitigation efforts and quicker emergency response during fire events.
Stakeholder Engagement & Public Outreach
Chloeta consultants support utility customers in meeting regulatory and other wildfire-related stakeholder engagement and public outreach requirements by designing and implementing tailored communication strategies that align with regulatory mandates.
For example, Chloeta has developed and facilitated public workshops in high fire-threat districts to explain Wildfire Mitigation Plan (WMP) activities and gather community feedback, fulfilling CPUC outreach criteria. Our teams also assist utilities in producing multilingual materials, hosting virtual town halls, and maintaining documentation logs for PSPS notifications, ensuring traceability and compliance.
This hands-on, regulatory-aware support helps utilities build trust with the public, enhance transparency, and avoid penalties related to insufficient community engagement.
Training Services
Chloeta provides specialized training to utility customers and their field crews on wildland fire behavior, electrical safety, and ignition suppression techniques to ensure safe, effective response when a utility asset failure leads to wildfire ignition.
Chloeta’s instructors bring decades of real-world experience in both utility operations and wildfire response, offering tailored sessions that integrate regulatory requirements, region-specific fire conditions, and utility-specific infrastructure. This hands-on, scenario-based approach prepares crews to make informed decisions, helping reduce response times and enhance safety.
Field Work Ignition Mitigation
Chloeta provides specialized training to utility customers and their field crews on wildland fire behavior, electrical safety, and ignition suppression techniques to ensure safe, effective response when a utility asset failure leads to wildfire ignition.
Chloeta’s instructors bring decades of real-world experience in both utility operations and wildfire response, offering tailored sessions that integrate regulatory requirements, region-specific fire conditions, and utility-specific infrastructure. This hands-on, scenario-based approach prepares crews to make informed decisions, helping reduce response times and enhance safety.