Fire Prevention is Everyone’s Responsibility 

As we enter the spring season, my first in southwest Colorado, we’re reminded that with warmer temperatures and persistent drought conditions comes a heightened risk of wildfire. At LPEA, we share your concern and take our role as a responsible operator very seriously. Our top priorities are your safety, the reliability of your power, and doing our part to prevent wildfires in our region. 

Last month, our staff participated in a wildfire tabletop exercise—an essential drill designed to ensure we’re ready to act when emergencies strike. We are also strengthening relationships with local first responders and emergency management offices across our service territory so that, when needed, we can respond quickly, together. 

One of our most important tools in wildfire prevention is vegetation management. This year, we’re expanding our efforts and integrating new technology, including drone inspections and GIS data overlays, to make our operations more efficient and effective. We’re bringing our drone program in-house, which will allow us to proactively monitor vegetation and inspect poles more frequently. This will help us prioritize work based on real-time data and historical outage trends—getting ahead of issues before they become threats. 

In fact, we recently completed a drone inspection in Los Ranchitos—an area hit hard by tree-related outages during the winter. This inspection, funded by a $50,000 grant, is one example of how we're using smart tools to support safety and reliability. Get more details in our April Watts Up. 

In times of extreme fire weather, such as Red Flag warnings issued by the National Weather Service, we adjust our operations to minimize ignition risk. This can mean temporarily shutting off power or delaying service restoration to ensure it's safe to re-energize. We understand these changes can be inconvenient, but they are necessary.

“We don't rise to the level of our expectations—we fall to the level of our training.” – Archilochus 

We are training, planning, and innovating—but wildfire prevention is not something we can tackle alone. It will take all of us. 

That’s why we ask every member to review our Vegetation Management Guidelines and understand how you can play a role. From maintaining defensible space around your home to reporting potential hazards, your actions matter. 

Thank you for partnering with us as we work to protect what matters most. 

Sincerely, 
 

Chris Hansen 
Chief Executive Officer 
La Plata Electric Association