The municipality of Summerland is taking precautions with its power lines to prepare for extreme weather with the upcoming wildfire season.

Graham Statt, chief administrative officer with the municipality, said municipal crews have been brushing power lines. This involves clearing branches of nearby trees, so they do not come in contact with the power lines during strong winds or extreme weather.

乌鸦传媒淥ur brushing program is one that council has invested heavily in, over the last few years,乌鸦传媒� he said.

Summerland Power, the municipality乌鸦传媒檚 electrical utility, buys electrical power from FortisBC and distributes it to customers within the community.

Earlier this spring, FortisBC stated it was putting safety measures in place, to help protect communities and its electrical system against wildfires.

This includes a new precautionary measure where electricity might be proactively shut off in selected areas in advance of extreme weather. 

FortisBC is advising its electrical customers to be prepared for potential outages to help reduce potential ignition sources. 

乌鸦传媒淲ith the safety of the public and our employees our top priority, we take the risk of wildfires very seriously and take precautions that could result in our customers experiencing more frequent or longer than typical power outages,乌鸦传媒� said Shawn Conway, director of operations with FortisBC.

However, Statt believes the proactive measure from FortisBC will affect individual residential customers in rural areas rather than those in communities such as Summerland, where power is purchased wholesale from FortisBC.