May is Electrical Safety Month: Protecting Our Community Together
May is Electrical Safety Month
Date Published

May is Electrical Safety Month, and we are here to share some essential safety reminders. 

What You Can Do to Keep Yourself and Our Community Safe

  1. Safe Digging Practices: Before you plan any project that involves digging—like planting a new garden or installing a sprinkler system—remember to contact 811. This is the most important step you can take to prevent unintentionally hitting underground utilities. Utilities can be buried as shallow as six inches below the surface. Visit www.co811.org and use iDig811, or call 811 at least three business days before your digging project. This simple act can help you avoid potentially dangerous accidents, as well as service interruptions for you and your neighbors.
     
  2. Stay Aware Around Electricity: In the past few months, we have seen a number of near misses where members or contractors have either caused an outage by hitting power lines with equipment, or have put themselves in danger by touching downed power lines. 

    We want to emphasize how incredibly lucky these individuals are to have walked away from these encounters unharmed. 

    Always assume that every power line you see is energized, no matter what. Whether it is unassumingly running between two power poles, working fine and doing its job, or it is lying on the ground, seemingly useless, after being brought down by a giant tree, a powerline is extremely dangerous. 

    Staying safe means staying aware. If you're operating heavy machinery, watch out for obstacles above you in addition to those that might be around you. If you're trying to assist in clean-up efforts after a big storm, the number one most helpful thing you can do if you see a downed line is stay away and call our dispatchers at 970-247-5786. 
     
  3. Maintain Your Property: Clear brush and assess tree trimming needs around your property. Remember, LPEA can assist with trees that may affect power lines. For another great resource, check out Wildfire Adapted Partnership's chipper rebate program. 
     
  4. Drive Safely: Be cautious on the roads. Vehicle-related accidents are a significant cause of power outages due to damaged electrical equipment. If do end up hitting a power pole, pad-mounted transformer (green box) or other electrical equipment, do not get out of the vehicle or cab. Instead, call 911 and wait for utility crews to come and de-energize the power. Learn more at lpea.coop/drivesafe. 
     
  5. Stay Informed. Update Your Contact Information: Make sure we can reach you with important safety or outage information. Update your contact information with LPEA. 

Your proactive help makes a big difference in our collective safety. Let’s keep each other safe by being mindful of these practices and continuing to support the efforts that keep our community protected. For more information on safe electrical practices, visit our partners at Safe Electricity!

What LPEA is Doing to Keep Our Community Safe

Providing SAFE reliable electricity to our members is a core part of our mission and something we take very seriously. We strive to keep our staff and our community safe every single day. Here are a few of the specific ways we are prioritizing safety this May. 

  1. Enhanced Power Safety Settings: As southwest Colorado heads into what forecasters expect to be a high-risk fire season, we are implementing enhanced grid protection protocols during periods of high fire danger. Known in the industry as "fire settings," these configurations reduce or eliminate the automatic restoration of power after a fault is detected. Members may experience more outages when fire settings are in effect, but this significantly reduces the chance that a power line could ignite a fire. 
     
  2. Fire Mitigation and Other Fire Preparedness Activities:
    Regardless of the conditions, we make fire mitigation a year-round priority. We inspect and maintain approximately 2,000 miles of overhead line on a rotating basis, and keeping trees and branches clear of power lines is among our most important and most challenging wildfire prevention tools. 

    You can read more about our 2026 safety and fire preparedness efforts HERE. We also featured this topic on our April 22, 2026 podcast episode titled "Power Up: Prioritizing Safety Ahead of Wildfire Season." 

    Listen to our Podcast

     
  3. Support for Local Fire Safety Efforts: Beginning in 2026, we are focusing our entire sponsorship program on wildfire mitigation, addressing one of the greatest threats to public safety, electric reliability, and the landscapes our region depends on. Learn more about our community sponsorship program and share with any organizations you know that might be a good fit! 
     
  4. Participating in Electric Safety Demonstrations and Events: We love getting to work with our partners and our members to spread the word about all things electricity and safety! Here are a few of the places you can find us this Electric Safety Month, and you can always keep an eye on our event calendar and our Facebook page to see what we have coming up. 

We also offer indoor safety demonstrations and outdoor electric safety demonstrations! Reach out to us at safety@lpea.coop if you'd like to organize a demo for your group or organization!