As Don Daigler surveys Southern California Edison’s recently overhauled Emergency Operations Center, he is reminded of the challenges involved in managing a wide range of crises and disasters that made the critical enhancements necessary. The EOC acts as the company’s hub for all emergency responses year-round including wildfires, earthquakes, pandemics and anything else that may confront one of the nation’s largest public utilities.

“This was all about keeping our team members safe,” said Daigler, who oversees the facility and is SCE’s managing director of Business Resiliency. “We needed a bigger facility with more space to adhere to COVID-19 health guidelines, which include physical distancing requirements and accommodating more employees with specialized functions."

The EOC was expanded into an adjacent building connected by an outdoor walkway, adding 3,500 square feet of space. This is where the company’s planning and logistics employees, fire scientist, meteorologists and GIS mapping specialists will be housed during emergency events.

More computers and monitors allow the EOC team to observe the utility’s infrastructure during extreme weather events down to the individual circuit level. The upgrades include larger work spaces that can accommodate more employees engaged in California’s Standardized Emergency Management System training courses.

If the facility loses power, it is equipped with backup batteries and a generator capable of providing an uninterrupted power supply for several days.

“It’s critical to have backup power to continue to coordinate power restoration since some emergencies can last for days. We understand how much our customers depend on electricity to carry out their responsibilities and get through their day,” Daigler said.

A state-of-the-art media room was added with a separate entrance and special lighting. This will allow reporters to conduct interviews and live shots to keep the public informed throughout an emergency event. A high-definition projection screen measuring six feet high by 15 feet wide can be used to monitor active incidents.

The expanded EOC will also provide room for on-site representation from state and local agencies, further enhancing coordination. SCE recently launched a new portal to share detailed forecasts and outage information with public safety partners.

“Major events can affect many of our customers and can happen at any time, so it was critical to have a facility that is capable of handling more than one incident at a time. This way we can facilitate restoration efforts after any significant incident, including Public Safety Power Shutoff events and large wildfires, once it is safe to do so,” said Daigler.

Customers should expect a significant reduction of PSPS events, assuming the same weather and fuel conditions as last year. This is a result of SCE’s expedited grid hardening work in communities frequently impacted by PSPS.

Once grid hardening is completed on the 72 circuits that experienced at least four de-energizations last year, PSPS outage times will be reduced by at least 70% in high fire risk areas, assuming the same weather and fuel conditions exist as in 2020. In fact, 81,000 customers have already been removed from PSPS consideration this year.

The utility’s current Wildfire Mitigation Plan and PSPS Action Plan were both filed with the California Public Utilities Commission earlier this year.