Pacific Gas and Electric employees canceled vacations and won’t be partying on Independence Day as the company is boosting staffing and bracing for potential problems that intense heat conditions could cause in the Valley.

Joshua Simes, PG&E’s Central Valley Region vice president, told reporters Tuesday that the company is prepositioning replacement equipment and increasing staff in the field and the Emergency Operating Center to stay on top of any outages. There will be 16 crews and four construction crews assigned just to Fresno, Simes said.

“We are committed to keeping our grid energized,” he said.

Conditions such as those forecast for the Valley have occurred only 18 times since PG&E began tracking weather data in the 1970s, the company said.

Electrical equipment, including underground transformers, can be subject to overheating and breaking down during lengthy periods of extreme heat and high demand, Simes said.

“We have not seen heat like this in the PG&E footprint since 1970. So the teams are prepared and ready to react if there’s heat-related outages,” he said. “When we look at a heat event like this, this is what we prepare for. Our teams are working every day to make our system more reliable, whether that’s upgrading and changing transformers, whether that’s working in underground vaults, whether that’s making our utility poles stronger, more reliable.

“All of this is happening in part of our planning to make our system more reliable and keep our grid connected.”

Related Story: Record-Setting Heat Sets Its Dangerous Aim on Fresno This Week

New Heat Records Likely

The National Weather Service is forecasting temperatures at 110 degrees or above for the next week, starting Wednesday and continuing through next Tuesday, July 9.

The forecast highs on Wednesday and Thursday will be 112, 111 on Friday, 114 Saturday and Sunday, 111 on Monday, and 110 on Tuesday, Antoinette Serrato, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford, said Tuesday afternoon.

That would break the current record of six days at 110 or above that was set in July 1898, and would also set new all-time highs for July 3, 6, and 7, according to the weather service’s historical records.

PG&E customers can prepare for possible outages by making sure they keep cell phones charged and back-up batteries, sign up for the company’s alerts through their account online, check in on relatives and friends who may be at risk, and most importantly, stay hydrated, Simes said.

You can sign up for PG&E power outage alerts at this link. The utility’s power outage center is at this link.

Cooling Centers Across Fresno County

If an outage is extended, customers can seek out cooling centers that are operated in cities such as Fresno and Clovis, Simes said.

Fresno County libraries also are available as cooling centers. Fresno County’s website lists cooling centers in towns and cities countywide.

Customers also should try not to run heavy appliances like dishwashers, washers, and dryers, or charge their electric vehicles during the peak periods of 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., the period of heaviest demand, Simes said.