SCE Edison Choppers Checking Power Lines Above Monrovia

By Terry Miller

The energygiant, that continues to take leaps of faith to get back in the public’s goodgraces in the wake of a series of wildfires blamed on faulty SCE equipment lastyear, is taking to the skies over Los Angeles and Ventura counties to completeaerial inspections of all its overhead lines.

People,especially in Sierra Madre, have recently been complaining of the noise onFacebook. One noted that Nixle had issued an alert to Monrovia residents butnot Sierra Madre.

However, SCEinsists it will be brief but a necessary inconvenience to help prevent forestfires.

Theinspections involve the use of high-tech cameras mounted on helicopters. Thedevices can detect invisible flaws using a radiometric infrared camera as wellas visible issues using a high-definition imager, the utility company said in anews release.

CraigStenberg, SCE air operations remote sensing manager, said in a statement thatthe company has “always done overhead inspections” but that this latest effortis “on steroids.”

Among the local communities that have already or will soon notice the helicopters overhead: Arcadia, Monrovia ad Sierra Madre. The regions were selected because it’s in what’s deemed by the Public Utilities Commission to be a “high-fire-risk area.”

Although thecompany said its goal is to conduct the aerial inspections with “little to nodisruption to residents,” residents have taken notice, posting frequently onsocial media about the sight of the helicopters floating overhead for severalminutes at a time.

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