WEEDS installation near Sacramento
This is an owner-built system in Northern California.
The video links show WEEDS operation under windy conditions.Photos and videos used with permission.
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WEEDS info
WILDFIRE Magazine Article
Brand Dilution (Cover article); Wildfire Magazine; Mar. 2005
by Joseph W. Mitchell
Here are some references behind the article WEEDS: Firebrand Defense for the “Typical Catastrophe”
The ideas underlying the WEEDS concept, the proposition that...
Backyards and Beyond, 2013
The effectiveness of water spray technologies for wildfire protection was discussed at Backyards and Beyond, 2013, in...
Wildfire
WUI Encyclopedia Article
Wrote chapter “Radiant Heat” in the Encyclopedia of Wildfires and Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fires.
Wildland Fire Still an Unsolved Problem
SOURCE: RAMONA SENTINEL Michael Scott-Blair’s two articles in the July 9th Sentinel on retired Chief Steve Butler’s efforts to raise fire awareness and on his fire equipment company raise a number of important issues that people living in the San...
California Office of the State Fire Marshal Task Force on Wildfire Protection Building Construction
Assisted the State Fire Marshal’s Office in establishing a framework for testing ignition-resistant construction proposed for the 2010 update to the California Building Code, Chapter 7A. Final draft 5/21/2009. Chapter 7A Task Force Recommendations ...
Power Lines and Wildfire
The CPUC Risk-Based Decision-Making Framework
July 2023
As part of the S-MAP proceeding I was recently invited to give a presentation on tail risk and consequences for utility risk planning by the CPUC's Safety Policy Division. This is shown on the CPUC YouTube channel below.
Tail risk and...
Reviewing Utility Wildfire Mitigation Plans - 2023
By California statute, electrical utilities must provide a complete Wildfire Mitigation Plan every three years, with yearly updates. The WMPs are submitted to the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety (OEIS) and then to the California Public...
The October 2019 PG&E PSPS Website Failure
From October 8th to October 12th, 2019, PG&E planned its largest pre-emptive power shutoff event (PSPS) ever attempted by a utility in anticipation of an extreme Diablo wind event. As the event approached, performance of the PG&E website, a primary...