Pacific Gas & Electric promises to do better the next time a major storm knocks out power in Saratoga.
PG&E officials on Jan. 30 met with Mayor Paul Jacobs, City Manager Harry Peacock and representatives of the fire district and sheriff's department to explain steps the utility company will take in future outages.
The biggest change in the company's approach was its promise to shift hundreds of employees from other divisions to handle power outages after a major storm. Workers who usually fix gas lines will guard fallen power lines, thereby freeing sheriff's deputies or city workers from the job.
About 800 of PG&E's business-department employees are being trained to call customers with updates about power restoration. The utility company also agreed to send one representative to the city's emergency operations center during major storms to update the city on restoration efforts and answer any other questions they have.
PG&E is inspecting its local lines to see if they contain any weaknesses that need to be repaired before a storm hits. A safety training program will teach city and county employees how to recognize electrical hazards.
PG&E also suggests that residents trim trees near power lines, to prevent storm damage. For tree-trimming information, call (800) PGE-5000.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, February 14, 1996.
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