We live in a time where it is easy to lash out at government for so many reasons – I feel that way myself when I see acts that erode my own faith in our democratic process. But for all our venting and frustration, we often take for granted when things go right, and more importantly, the people who help make those things go right.
This past week we went through an especially extreme and dangerous weather event. And while we will continue to have conversations with Xcel about the need for undergrounding lines, improving community notifications and developing more precise and targeted shutoffs, today is not about what could have gone better.
Today, I want to celebrate the dedicated individuals who worked tirelessly for almost a week preparing and responding to minimize harm to our community, prevent ignitions and respond to the few fires that actually occurred to prevent a devastating and fast-moving blaze. Team members were activated away from their regular duties, and for some, brought back from vacations during this holiday season to work, as power in many of the city facilities went down and we cautioned staff and community to stay off the roads for their own safety.
At the event’s peak, with six briefings a day, more than 260 public servants from across our region logged in to daily emergency briefings from our Emergency Operations Center to ensure coordinated communication and response. These sessions were in addition to smaller targeted briefings held by teams and operational policy makers across all impacted municipalities. Conversations and briefings were also held with Xcel directly as we tried to get a more defined understanding of impacted areas and timeline so we could do our best to inform our community. And at some points, we had hourly briefings with our friends at the National Weather Service who kept us updated on the ever-changing wind patterns and severity of fire risk.
Our public safety teams were extraordinary. Police and fire personnel were on top of every downed power line and every fire that popped up, getting initial flames under control within minutes. In addition, they fielded hundreds of emergency (and non-emergency) calls. On Wednesday, during the first public safety power shutoff (PSPS) event, dispatch handled 534 calls for police and fire in a 5-hour period – 258 of which were law-enforcement related. Because our community was better prepared for round two, and thanks to the standing up of a general community call center, Friday’s call volume was a bit lower, but the types of calls that came often required multiple officer response.
Our communications teams worked tirelessly and strategically to disseminate helpful information balancing the needs of preparedness messaging with real-time updates. With technology that translates to multiple languages, they helped spread the word to our community, including some of our most vulnerable: those needing medical assistance; those living in our manufactured home communities, which usually bear the worst impact from the winds; and those who had no choice but to travel around or through the city for work. As the city does regularly, we also communicated regularly with our business community, leveraging strong and longstanding partnerships with organizations that serve our many amazing restaurants, retailers and employers in Boulder. We also helped facilitate direct contact between these organizations and Xcel.
Our Transportation and Mobility teams were monitoring streetlights and traffic signals in the city. At the event’s peak, nearly 60 of our city's most critical traffic signals were down, and we responded accordingly to provide backup generators at the most critical intersections along with traffic enforcement where we were able. Our Utilities team ensured all aspects of our water delivery and treatment systems remained powered and online, through whatever means necessary, to avoid public health risks.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention our small and mighty climate team. They know this electric grid so well that they were able to provide key recommendations that supported Xcel’s narrowing of the planned outage footprint for our community on Friday.
And then, there are the others behind the scenes, those who often go unsung in emergencies, like our:
- Open Space and Mountain Parks staff who facilitated closures of our land system to prevent harm and performed trail assessment work afterwards to reopen the system as quickly as possible
- Parks and Recreation team who opened an emergency charging station (and thanks, too, to our Library District partners who answered that call as well)
- Forestry crews who performed damage assessments and worked quickly to clear debris from public trees, preventing many limbs from Wednesday becoming projectiles on Friday
- Facilities and Fleet colleagues who helped us obtain additional generators, provided fuel for the critical facilities relying on generators, ensured that buildings without power remained secure and brought city-owned spaces back online as power was restored
- Finance team members who made sure vendor payments were sent out early to avoid disruption and extended the deadline for sales tax submissions for businesses that were impacted by the power outages
- GIS professionals who integrated Xcel’s ever-changing map with local impacts and resources, like road closures and charging infrastructure, to help community members access valuable and more reliable geographic information in one place
- Innovation and Technology colleagues who monitored power and network systems across city facilities and kept close watch to minimize cybersecurity risks
- Housing and Human Services team and Engagement colleagues who maintained contact with our most vulnerable neighbors to ensure we were taking care of their needs
Lastly, because some folks may not understand how this works, our Office of Disaster Management (ODM) is actually a shared city and county resource. This team and all of its operations are financed jointly by the city and Boulder County. In times of emergency, individuals from many partner agencies shed their jurisdictional and day-to-day roles to report to the EOC, where they are led and supported by full-time disaster preparedness professionals, to support Incident Command personnel and meet the needs of any communities that are being impacted. Our model far surpasses what is offered in neighboring communities and serves as a testament to what we can do when come together.
Emergencies are disruptive by nature, and we will always work harder to respond quicker and more efficiently because continuous improvement is a cornerstone of good governance. But for today, I share my gratitude to all our staff – and by extension our regional partners – who showcase the very best in public service. Thank you for all you do.
With gratitude,
Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde
City of Boulder City Manager
