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WILDFIRE SAFETY & MITIGATION Banner Image

WILDFIRE SAFETY & MITIGATION

Assess Wildfire Risk in Your Area

Assess Wildfire Risk in Your Area

Oncor’s service territory spans a broad range of geographical, climatic and vegetative regions. While we’re continuously working to mitigate wildfire risks across the communities we serve, the Texas A&M Forest Service’s Texas Wildfire Risk Explorer is a helpful tool for determining if your location may have higher wildfire and burn probability risks.

View the Risk Explorer

Year-round Risk Monitoring

Year-Round Risk Monitoring

Oncor carefully monitors fire-weather conditions and integrates real-time data from external sources and partners, like the National Weather Service and Texas A&M Forest Service, to help us make informed decisions for mitigating wildfire risks. Red Flag warnings, which are issued when conditions may lead to especially dangerous wildfire growth, are a critical trigger for mitigation actions.

Current Wildfire Activity

Help Prevent Wildfires

Help Prevent Wildfires

When it comes to limiting wildfire danger in Texas, you can make a difference. Small steps, such as staying weather aware, following local guidelines and using outdoor equipment and grills safely, can help prevent fires before they start. See below for more info on preventing wildfires in your community.

Tips to Prevent Wildfires

Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment & Modeling

Identifying elevated wildfire-risk areas using data-driven analysis and advanced modeling tools

Situational Awareness

Situational Awareness

Integrating forecasted and real-time weather and fire-behavior data to support operational awareness

System Hardening

System Hardening

Standardizing fire‑safe devices and upgrading infrastructure to reduce equipment‑related ignition risk

Asset Inspection

Asset Inspection

Using enhanced inspection programs via ground, aerial, and remote sensing to identify and address potential ignition risks

Vegetation Management

Vegetation Management

Enhancing vegetation management and hazard tree removal in elevated risk areas to maintain safe clearances

Operational Protocols

Operational Protocols

Implementing fire‑safe work practices and targeted operational controls, including Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) for specific, critical conditions

Customer Outreach

Customer Outreach & Public Awareness

Strengthening coordination and communication with customers, agencies, and communities before, during, and after wildfire events

Plan Performance

Plan Performance & Monitoring

Measuring wildfire‑mitigation effectiveness and refining programs through ongoing monitoring and analysis

Fire Safety Protection Settings (FSPS)

When the National Weather Service issues a Red Flag Warning or when wildfire risk is otherwise significantly elevated within our service territory, Oncor may activate Fire Safety Protection Settings, which temporarily disables certain automatic devices.

When operating, these devices automatically attempt to restore power after detecting an issue on a power line, such as contact from a falling branch or other windborne debris. When these devices are disabled, Oncor employees will physically patrol the nearby area to ensure conditions are safe before manually restoring power.

Oncor may also utilize Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (EPSS) to increase the sensitivity of our protective devices, which will cause even minor disturbances to our equipment to result in an automatic power outage until team members can visually inspect the area.

Using these settings does not mean Oncor is proactively turning off customers’ power. However, if an outage were to occur, customers within the impacted area may experience longer than usual restoration times. We recognize that longer outages may be frustrating for our customers, and we appreciate their patience as we continue to prioritize community and employee safety.

Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS)

During specific, critical conditions of significant wildfire risk, Oncor may proactively de-energize certain power lines to reduce the risk that our equipment ignites or exacerbates a wildfire. These are known as Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS), and they are used by many electric utilities as a tool of last-resort to help keep customers safe from wildfire conditions.

A PSPS would temporarily interrupt electric service for customers who are served by infrastructure being de-energized. Oncor takes the decision to issue a PSPS very seriously. We will only initiate a PSPS after thoroughly assessing numerous risk factors including weather conditions, ground-fuel conditions, potential wildfire impacts, real-time observations, and our nearby infrastructure.

In the event of a planned or active PSPS, Oncor will utilize all available communication channels to notify potentially impacted customers. To ensure you receive direct notifications from Oncor, register for MyOncor Alerts today.

For more information visit our Public Safety Power Shutoff page.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Wildfires are a year-round risk in Texas, but their frequency and intensity can vary by region due to the state's diverse geography. Texas experiences two primary wildfire seasons: the dormant season from February through April, driven by dry air and high winds, and the summer season from August through October, fueled by extreme heat and drought conditions. Areas with dry vegetation, low humidity, and frequent wind events are at greatest risk.

Oncor follows a proactive, comprehensive Wildfire Mitigation Plan that focuses on minimizing the risk that our facilities ignite or exacerbate wildfires. The plan covers a wide range of topics, primarily focusing on risk assessment & modeling, situational awareness, system hardening, asset inspection, vegetation management, operational protocols, customer outreach & public awareness and plan performance & monitoring.

The Texas A&M Forest Service (TAMFS) is the lead agency for wildfire response in the state of Texas. Members of the public can access the TAMFS incident viewer, which provides information about active and recently contained wildfires, by visiting tfswildfires.com/public/.

A Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) is when Oncor proactively de-energizes certain power lines as a last-resort measure to protect lives, property, communities and first responders from potential wildfires during extreme wildfire risk conditions. These are only utilized during specific, critical conditions of significant wildfire risk. For more information, visit Oncor.com/PSPS.

According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, the largest number of human-caused wildfires is a result of debris burning. Vehicles, welding, other equipment use, and arson are also common preventable causes of wildfires. Texans are encouraged to stay weather aware and practice safe outdoor activities. Customer can also register for MyOncor Alerts by texting REG to 66267 for updates that may impact their home or business.

Oncor is making major investments in wildfire mitigation through the implementation of our System Resiliency Plan (SRP). These investments include hardening poles and wires, modernizing overhead and underground equipment, expanding vegetation management, deploying smart devices for rapid fault detection, and enhancing monitoring across high-risk zones.