How SurvalentONE SCADA Supports Wildfire Mitigation Strategies
As wildfire threats intensify across North America, electric utilities are under growing pressure to take proactive steps that protect communities, infrastructure, and field crews. While vegetation management and infrastructure upgrades are important, operational technologies like SCADA systems play a critical role in a utility’s wildfire mitigation strategy – especially when every second matters.
SurvalentONE SCADA enables utilities to respond with greater speed, precision, and confidence during high-risk fire conditions. Its core capabilities support key mitigation measures such as grid sectionalization, proactive de-energization, and fast fault isolation. These functions help utilities maintain public safety, reduce damage, and comply with evolving regulatory expectations – all while improving operational readiness and resilience.
Act Fast When Conditions Escalate
Wildfire season leaves little room for delay. When fire risk escalates, operators need situational awareness and control tools that allow them to respond without hesitation. SurvalentONE SCADA provides real-time visibility into the distribution network enabling utilities to operate with confidence, dispatching commands, isolating or de-energizing grid sections as needed, and adapting protection or tripping schemes based on weather conditions, or alerts affecting sensitive areas.
SurvalentONE SCADA enables operators to prepare and execute coordinated actions quickly and safely. Operators can define and store custom group commands in advance, ready for fast execution across multiple devices or network sections when conditions demand it. Pre-built switching order templates further support safe and reliable load transfers, helping crews act decisively and consistently under pressure.
Together, configurable group commands and zone-based control streamline field operations, reducing manual effort, minimizing response time, and ensuring critical actions, such as isolating lines ahead of a fire front or managing planned outages during red flag warnings, can be carried out in seconds with confidence.
Learn how SurvalentONE SCADA helps utilities quickly respond to, and mitigate wildfire threats in real time
Enhance Safety Through Greater Control
One of the most effective strategies for mitigating wildfire risk is proactively de-energizing lines in areas with high fuel loads and extreme weather forecasts. Although the decision to shut off power is never taken lightly, the ability to execute these measures quickly and accurately is crucial. SurvalentONE SCADA supports this process through built-in features that ensure safe command execution and accurate device status tracking.
Operators can inhibit remote control of devices by other staff through multi-level tagging, verify end-to-end communication before issuing commands, and monitor alarm states to ensure devices behave as expected. These controls reduce the risk of error and support safe operational procedures, even during dynamic or stressful situations.
Turning Data into Actionable Intelligence
Beyond real-time control, SurvalentONE SCADA captures and archives detailed operational data that utilities can use to review response and mitigation actions during wildfire events. This information supports post-event analysis, documentation of switching sequences and operator decisions, and preparation of regulatory compliance reports. By leveraging the system’s native historian and reporting tools, utilities can demonstrate how decisions were made, what actions were taken, and how those actions aligned with their mitigation plans.
This level of transparency not only improves internal planning and stakeholder engagement – it also helps build trust with regulators and the public by showing that utilities are acting responsibly in the face of wildfire threats.
Making the Most of What You Already Have
For utilities already operating on the SurvalentONE platform, many wildfire-relevant capabilities are already part of the deployed system. Features such as Switch Orders, Guarantees, Group Controls, Automation Scripts, and Alarms with Remote Annunciation can be configured to support rapid and safe operational responses. Complementary tools like Sequence of Events (SOE), Operator Summary, and the integrated Historian provide the visibility and traceability needed for post-event review and regulatory documentation.
Together, these capabilities enable utilities to adapt existing workflows, enhance situational awareness, and strengthen grid resilience, without requiring new infrastructure. It’s just a matter of configuring them to support wildfire scenarios.
We can help you identify and apply the right tools for your environment, whether that means setting up device groups in high-risk zones, developing custom command sequences for outage response, or integrating with other mitigation systems. With SurvalentONE ADMS, you don’t need to start from scratch. You just need to start where you are.
Building a Safer, Smarter Grid
Wildfire mitigation is a complex challenge that demands coordination across planning, operations, and field response. SurvalentONE SCADA brings those pieces together by giving utilities the visibility, control, and flexibility they need to manage risk effectively.
As fire seasons grow longer and more intense, the stakes continue to rise. By leveraging the tools already built into your control system, you can strengthen your wildfire mitigation strategy – and ensure you’re prepared to act when it matters most.
Want to strengthen your wildfire mitigation capabilities? Connect with our team to discuss tools and tactics that work.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How can electric utilities prepare for wildfire season?
Wildfire preparation for utilities involves a mix of vegetation management, infrastructure upgrades, and operational planning. But beyond physical hardening, utilities also need real-time monitoring and control systems to respond swiftly when conditions escalate. Technologies like SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) help utilities gain visibility across the grid, automate mitigation actions, and make informed decisions in seconds. Platforms like SurvalentONE SCADA enable grid sectionalization, fast fault isolation, and proactive de-energization during high-risk fire conditions.
What role does SCADA play in wildfire mitigation?
SCADA systems provide utilities with real-time insight and control over their electrical distribution networks, making them a key tool for wildfire mitigation. They allow operators to remotely isolate sections of the grid, adjust protection settings based on fire weather alerts, and execute pre-defined switching sequences to minimize risk. For example, SurvalentONE SCADA helps streamline these actions through features like group commands, zone-based control, and alarm verification—reducing human error and enabling faster responses.
What is proactive de-energization and why is it important during wildfires?
Proactive de-energization is the preemptive shutdown of power lines in high-risk fire areas to prevent equipment from sparking new fires. It’s often used during red flag warnings or when forecasts predict high winds and dry conditions. Because these decisions carry safety, operational, and public relations implications, they must be executed quickly and accurately. SCADA systems help utilities manage this by ensuring safe command execution, device status tracking, and communication verification—critical for minimizing risk while maintaining control.
How can utilities ensure safe execution of wildfire mitigation actions?
Utilities can reduce the risk of operational errors during wildfire events by standardizing their response procedures and using automation tools. Multi-level tagging prevents unauthorized device control, while real-time communication checks confirm that commands are safely delivered. Alarm monitoring ensures that devices behave as expected during switching. These practices—supported by SCADA systems like SurvalentONE SCADA—allow operators to respond confidently during dynamic or high-stress conditions.
How can utilities evaluate their wildfire mitigation performance after an event?
Post-event analysis is essential for improving future response and demonstrating regulatory compliance. SCADA systems with integrated historians and reporting tools allow utilities to review the sequence of events, operator actions, and grid status during wildfire incidents. This data can be used to generate reports, refine emergency procedures, and strengthen stakeholder confidence. SurvalentONE SCADA, for example, provides detailed records that support both internal learning and external accountability.