A property adjacent to Craig Turner’s Redlands home had overgrown trees and vegetation creeping into power lines. Turner says the neighbor’s property had not been maintained for at least 30 years.

“There were large trees that had grown together and were matted,” he said. “There was also a pepper tree that had probably a thousand branches so tight you couldn’t see through it.”

Turner was concerned about the overgrowth and thought it was a potential safety issue. Fortunately, a Southern California Edison line clearing specialist was tagging trees near utility poles in his neighborhood.

“The worker was near my property and he happened to see the problem from my backyard. He was very nice and scheduled an SCE arborist to come out and explain the process,” he said.

The company uses certified arborists and vegetation specialists to inspect over 1.1 million trees annually and more than 500,000 trees in high fire risk areas throughout its 50,000-square-mile service area. Crews also trim or remove about 750,000 trees every year. All home and property owners are encouraged to call SCE before starting any work and should only use qualified tree trimmers to do work safely around power lines.

“SCE’s vegetation management employees and the contractors the company hires to perform line clearing and tree removal work that’s in close proximity to high-voltage equipment are qualified electrical workers in accordance with OSHA safety requirements,” said David Guzman, SCE Vegetation Management and Forestry manager. “In addition to their arborist certification, they also complete additional training to work around power lines and SCE customers are not charged for the work that is completed.”

State regulations require utilities to trim or remove trees and vegetation so they do not grow or fall into high-voltage power lines, which could not only cause a wire down safety hazard but also spark a possible fire. SCE’s 2020-2022 Wildfire Mitigation Plan was approved this month.

SCE also participates in Operation Santa Ana every year, named after Southern California’s Santa Ana winds that typically occur from September to May. This annual event includes SCE arborists who collaborate with fire agencies across the service area to help the company adhere to regulatory fire hazard reduction requirements adopted by the California Public Utilities Commission in 2017.

In addition to the company’s own tree trimming work, SCE has a public safety program that distributes electrical safety educational materials to more than 112,000 tree trimmers, agricultural workers as well as other contractors. More than 2,000 first responders and 75,000 students receive similar electrical safety information. In fact, SCE’s e-SMART kids website is one of the most popular websites among investor-owned utilities.

“Providing these individuals with electrical safety information is critical and a simple reminder to keep themselves safe and avoid serious injury while working near power lines. However, I highly encourage homeowners and property owners to always call us first before starting the work,” said Andrew Martinez, SCE’s vice president of Safety, Security and Business Resiliency. “It’s also very important to start the education process at a young age so children understand how to stay safe around electrical equipment in their neighborhoods.”

As for the property near Turner’s home, it took a four-man crew to remove all the trees and overgrown vegetation over a two-week period. Turner couldn’t believe the big job was completed free of charge and he feels much safer now that the power lines have been cleared.

“Always call Southern California Edison first before doing any type of vegetation work around electrical equipment. They know how to work safely around power lines that are energized,” he said.

To schedule a tree inspection or to determine if there is a safety hazard, call SCE at 800-655-4555.