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Presentation

ESIC-AGI FA22 Power Seminar Series: Electric Utility Fire Mitigation Strategies, Lessons Learned from California

Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Building
EME Room 26 -- ESIC Conference Room

About the event

Energy Systems Innovation Center and Advanced Grid Institute present Electric Utility Fire Mitigation Strategies, Lessons Learned from California by Doug Forkner, Avista Utilities

Overview
In this presentation we will focus on the change management of wildfire risk that West Coast Utilities are facing during this decade. California was the first state to implement heavy regulation on electric utilities with regard to fire mitigation strategies. We will explore their effectiveness and what lessons companies like Avista have gleaned from watching the California wildfire experiment unfold. Avista has taken a different approach to wildfire risk than some of their California counterparts, we will cover these decisions and how these practices have direct impacts to our communities and customers.

Bio
Doug Forkner is a Senior Engineer at Avista Utilities in Spokane Washington. Throughout his career he’s worked in a wide variety of areas including Dam Safety, Natural Gas Engineering, and Electric Network Operations. His most recent role is designing and managing Avista’s wildfire predictive modeling and assessing risk across Avista’s transmission and distribution systems. He is a graduate of Gonzaga University with a degree in Civil Engineering and has taught multiple engineering classes over the years at Gonzaga.

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