“You shouldn’t fuel your generator when it’s hot, because if you spill any of your fuel, you can start a fire that way."”

Fire Chief Charlie Schmidtmann

PEAK TO PEAK — From April 6 to 8, 2024, 78-mile-per-hour winds and dropping temperatures caused Xcel Energy to cut power to Boulder, Gilpin, Larimer, Douglas, Broomfield and Jefferson Counties, affecting up to 55,000 customers for up to 72 hours. 

Just last month, from December 17 to December 21, 80 to 100-mph winds caused Xcel Energy to shut off electricity to Boulder, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Jefferson, Larimer, and Weld Counties. When combined with all the unplanned outages due to the weather event, over 100,000 customers were impacted for up to 96 hours. 

Xcel Energy has utilized these planned outages, known as Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS), as one of their main strategies for mitigating wildfire risk after facing hundreds of lawsuits—filed by local governments, residents, and by the retailer Target—and being found partially liable for the 2021 Marshall Fire.   

The Marshall Fire burned over 6,200 acres of land and caused the deaths of two people. The fire reportedly started on December 30, 2021, from a combination of high winds, active power lines, and dry conditions.

The lawsuits levied against the utilities provider indicate that Xcel failed to take responsible measures towards mitigating the chances of wildfire in Boulder County, especially considering the county’s notoriously windy weather.

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation defines a PSPS as "the proactive de-energization of power lines that are forecasted to be in the path of critical fire weather conditions."

According to a report by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), PSPS was approved as a mitigation strategy in California in 2012, after the electricity provider San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) obtained approval from the Public Utilities Commission.

SDG&E has been using PSPS since 2008, as immensely dry conditions in California had been increasing the risk of wildfires caused by outdated power lines and equipment. 

From 2013 to 2019, the three largest utilities providers in California utilized PSPS a combined total of 33 times, averaging 5 to 6 PSPS occurrences a year. To date, the average has dropped to about 3 to 4 occurrences a year. 

The PNNL report also states that PSPS events are “high-profile, often controversial, and require significant regulatory oversight; therefore evaluating PSPS planning offers a lens into how utilities balance risk reduction with public disruption.”

Similarly to the 2024 PSPS event in Nederland, the 2025 windstorm resulted in many downed trees, some of which dragged down power lines across the Peak to Peak area. And while Xcel employs tactics to check their lines and equipment before restoring power, sometimes a fallen or damaged line can be missed and can ignite.

Though no fires were started in the immediate Nederland area, two small electrical fires ignited near Gold Hill on December 21 after the power had been restored.

Having fought the Marshall Fire while knowing that his own home was burning down, Nederland Fire Protection District (NFPD) Fire Chief Charlie Schmidtmann understands from first-hand experience the reality of wildfire. That gives him a little more patience when it comes to prolonged power outages.   

“Knowing that I’m able to go home, that there wasn’t a fire, is very comforting,” he said. 

Schmidtmann spoke with The Mountain-Ear about how his team responds in the face of dangerous weather conditions and the possibility of a PSPS occurrence.

“We have several generators, and the station is always in a ready-state,” Schmidtmann explained, “but we make sure the generators are topped off with fuel, and we’ll go through all of our backup and portable generators and make sure they’re up and running and can withstand a long event.” 

In addition to ensuring their generators are ready for a prolonged power outage, District personnel also make sure that their fire station’s gas canisters are full and ready for the next generator refueling, and that all their breathing apparatus oxygen tanks and backup portable oxygen tanks are full. 

“We upstaff and try to get our volunteers to spend the day or night here in the fire station versus responding from home,” Schmidtmann detailed.

“Within a volunteer agency, one of the biggest challenges is not always knowing where your volunteers are, if they’re at work or in a different town or on vacation. They’re either available or not, and it can be difficult not knowing how many people are able to respond to an incident at any given time.”

As PSPS events are more likely to occur in Nederland’s future, Schmidtmann offered advice about what precautions local residents can take to further protect themselves.

“You shouldn’t fuel your generator when it’s hot, because if you spill any of your fuel, you can start a fire that way," he said. "Make sure your generator isn’t close to the building, as you could be bringing carbon monoxide into the house. Also, if the generator malfunctions and catches on fire it could set your house on fire as well. "

Schmidtmann added that generators should be kept on some kind of hardened surface, like nonflammable concrete or gravel, and that they should be kept clear of any trees. 

“Within the home, you want to make sure that the generator is hooked up by an approved method, as you can run the risk of accidentally backfeeding the system and electrocuting a line worker."

The Chief advised residents on wells to fill a bathtub with water to fill buckets with for other uses, including to flush the toilets. He also recommended that stored lumber be kept a safe distance away from the house; that propane appliances not be used indoors without proper ventilation; and that residents keep their fireplaces clean, never disposing of their fireplace ash during a wind event.