Question 1

What is a supplier outage?

Accepted Answer

The electricity Inland Power distributes to members is purchased from Bonneville Power Administration and is provided through BPA and Avista transmission lines. Sometimes, situations arise that cause Inland Power to lose service from these suppliers. Although not a direct result of damage to Inland Power’s lines, these situations still cause outages. Inland Power works closely with its power suppliers to minimize these occurrences.

Question 2

What is a pole-top fire?

Accepted Answer

Pole-top fires can occur when moisture in the air combines with dust and dirt built up on power lines or insulators (used to attach lines to wooden poles) and creates a path by which electricity can travel from lines to the wooden pole or cross arm they are attached to. This is known as “tracking.” When this happens, the pole or cross arm can heat up and catch fire. The fire damage or the resulting short circuit can cause an outage, as poles damaged by fire usually need to be replaced, or the line may need to be repaired.