MALIBU—On Saturday, August 15, the city of Malibu announced that Southern California Edison will by flying drones and helicopters over Malibu as part of their wildfire prevention and mitigation program, over the next few weeks, Southern California Edison (SCE) will be conducting inspections in Malibu neighborhoods using drones and/or helicopters.
Inspectors are using drones and helicopters to inspect equipment from difficult angles, and top-down angles for a 360-degree view. The focus of these operations is to keep communities safe by inspecting electrical equipment on poles and towers and to identify any damage or potential hazard that may need immediate repair.
The amount of time it takes to conduct inspections varies depending on how much equipment is on each pole or tower (approximately 30 to 60 minutes).
“Flying drones gives us eagle eyes,” said Southern California Edison Senior Electrical System Inspector Raymond Ramirez. “It helps us check on electrical equipment, especially in high fire risk areas- Opens in new window, looking out for anything that could compromise the system.”
Southern California Edison stated on its website that drones have proven effective in catching potential ignition risks among the roughly 250,000 distribution poles and transmission towers in SCE’s high fire risk areas. SCE uses helicopters for inspections in more rural areas, drones — which make up 99 percent of all of SCE’s aerial inspections — work best for residential and densely populated areas. In addition to being quieter, drones can zoom in and capture additional angles and details.
For more details on these efforts visit https://energized.edison.com/…/a-birds-eye-view-helps.
