Flathead Electric Co-op ‘adaptable’ to wildfire

At the Living with Wildfire seminar in Whitefish last week, there was a discussion about response plans for the area. Courtney Stone, communications and marketing supervisor at Flathead Electric Co-op, said that the Co-op has a comprehensive Wildfire Mitigation Plan that is regularly updated, and that the plans are adaptable.

“We can’t have an exact plan … rather, we work with our partners to regularly update our plans and to adapt to each situation or event,” Stone said.

The plan gives year-round guidance to the Co-op on preparation, management and how to work with officials in an event.  

The plan has five points: design and construction, inspection and maintenance, operational practices, situational and conditional awareness, and response and recovery. 

It states that it is a “dynamic document, meant to evolve with time and is intended to be expanded during periodic reviews or as inputs change.”

Stone said they have dedicated crews within each mitigation target. 

“We have entire crews and contractors that do maintenance such as vegetation management throughout the year,” Stone said.

“We have an organized way of covering everything at a minimum of every 10 years.”

Flathead Electric is a not-for-profit, member-owned cooperative with over 5,000 miles of overhead and underground power lines and is the primary energy provider in Northwest Montana. 

Stone said the Co-op is “deeply involved” with the Flathead County Office of Emergency Planners. 

“In December, we’ll be working with our local emergency planners to do an update of our wildfire mitigation plan. 

“There’s just so many factors that go into mitigation and management… wildfire is our top concern following just general safety,” Stone said. 

People with questions can call the Co-op and ask for Amanda Opp, integrated services manager and crew leader of wildfire mitigation efforts.