NFEC switches lines to one-shot system due to high winds and dry conditions

Operations Director Richard Bowdre says that due to the extreme high wind and fire danger, NFEC has switched over to its one-shot protection policy, which shuts down power on the first sign of an electrical fault.

When an electrical system is on normal operation, mechanical circuit breakers detect electrical faults and trip open. That turns the power off to that circuit, similar to the circuit breakers in a home.

On high-voltage power lines, the breakers will automatically turn the power on again three times prior to the power totally going off in the circuit.

That works fine when the landscape isn’t extremely dry and any spark might be enough to cause a wildfire.

When conditions call for it, NFEC changes its systems to one-shot protection, which requires replacing the breakers with a fuse. The fuse eliminates the operation of re-energizing the power line to minimize the risk of igniting a fire.

Brief outages can be expected during the extreme wind today and tomorrow as the system works to identify potential hazards.

Anyone with questions about Northfork Electric’s one-shot policy can call 928-3366.