#USA #San Diego #San Diego Gas & Electric #Wildfire Mitigation #Chartwell Awards

San Diego Gas & Electric Shines with Chartwell Awards in Crisis Management

San Diego Gas & Electric (SDGE) has made headlines recently after winning two significant awards at the Chartwell Best Practices Awards 2025. These accolades include the Gold Award for Excellence in Outage Operations and the Silver Award for Communications During Power Interruptions. The recognitions underscore SDGE’s pivotal role in safeguarding communities during extreme weather conditions and its commitment to harnessing innovative technologies aimed at reducing wildfire risks and service disruptions.

Commitment to Community Safety

According to Kevin Geraghty, SDGE’s Operations Director and Chief Safety Officer, these awards symbolize SDGE's unwavering dedication to safety, innovation, and customer-centric service. By integrating advanced technology with compassionate and proactive communication, SDGE is setting a national benchmark for community protection in the face of climate-induced events.

Innovations Leading the Way

The Gold Award celebrates SDGE's Wildfire Next Generation System (WiNGS), which plays a critical role in mitigating wildfire risks and minimizing the impact of power outages. Recent enhancements to the WiNGS platform have introduced three major components:
1. Real-Time Risk Simulation: By leveraging meteorological data, drone imagery, and AI-based analytics, SDGE has refined its decision-making process concerning power shutoffs, ensuring more effective service for its customers.
2. Enhanced Visibility of Temporary Infrastructure: Automated monitoring of poles and temporary infrastructures contributes to improved risk assessments, aiding in the mitigation of safety-related power outages.
3. Community Proactive Protection: Advanced geospatial tools enable teams to prioritize high-risk areas, facilitating quicker restoration of power and reducing interruptions in vulnerable communities.

Crisis Communication Excellence

The Silver Award highlights SDGE's implementation of a multi-tiered communication strategy during power safety shutoffs driven by historic Santa Ana winds and extreme weather conditions in late 2024 and early 2025. During this period, SDGE successfully informed over 274,000 customers through coordinated communication initiatives, including:

• - Multi-Channel Alerts: Notifications sent through text messages, emails, voice messages, and the SDGE mobile app in 22 languages, accommodating diverse community needs.
• - Community Relations: Collaborations with public safety agencies, tribal nations, and critical facilities to enhance real-time awareness and resource deployment.
• - Support for Vulnerable Populations: Activation of ten community resource centers, personalized assistance for customers dependent on electricity for medical needs, and the provision of basic resources like Wi-Fi devices and generators, as well as emergency lodging.
• - Social Media Engagement: Real-time updates, multilingual content, and myth-busting posts across various platforms helped maintain community connection and trust.

Continuing Leadership in Fire Mitigation

SDGE is consistently recognized as a national leader in wildfire mitigation within the utility sector by utilizing state-of-the-art technology and innovations. The establishment of the Wildfire and Climate Resilience Center (WCRC) in 2024 demonstrates SDGE's commitment to enhancing emergency coordination and operational responses during power outages while highlighting its focus on resilience and safety.

As a forward-thinking energy provider, SDGE emphasizes its goal of delivering clean, safe, and reliable energy to the San Diego and south Orange County regions. The company is devoted to creating a sustainable future by increasing its low or no-carbon energy supply, accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles, and investing in innovative technologies that promise reliable infrastructure for generations to come. Recognized as a leader in its field, SDGE was awarded the Corporate Partner of the Year distinction by the San Diego Business Journal and has consistently received the ReliabilityOne® award from PA Consulting for outstanding reliability performance for 18 consecutive years.

To learn more about SDGE and its initiatives, visit SDGEtoday.com.