Lake Arrowhead Electrical, a locally owned electrical contractor serving Lake Arrowhead, Blue Jay, Crestline, and Running Springs, is urging mountain homeowners to prepare their electrical systems ahead of peak wildfire season. Southern California Edison (SCE) continues to implement Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) across the region's highest fire-threat zones, and the San Bernardino Mountains are especially prone to these conditions when Santa Ana winds move through the area.
Lake Arrowhead sits within SCE's Tier 2 and Tier 3 fire-threat zones, as designated by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Communities such as Blue Jay, Cedar Glen, and Twin Peaks are among the most likely in the region to see their power shut off preemptively during dry, high-wind conditions, even when local weather appears calm. The National Weather Service often issues a red flag warning in the days before SCE de-energizes a line. Dense pine canopy along mountain roads such as the Rim of the World Highway, combined with limited circuit redundancy across communities including Crestline, Running Springs, and Arrowbear Lake, means a single de-energization event can leave entire neighborhoods without power for 24 to 72 hours or longer. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) has designated much of the San Bernardino National Forest surrounding Lake Arrowhead as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, reinforcing why the area remains a recurring target for PSPS activity each fire season.
"A lot of our customers don't realize how often SCE cuts power up here during fire season, or how long it can take to come back on," said Vincent, Head Electrician of Lake Arrowhead Electrical. "The homes with a properly installed generator and transfer switch ride it out without much disruption. The ones without one are the ones calling us in a panic in the middle of an outage."
Generator installation and electrical panel upgrades remain the two most requested services heading into fire season, as homeowners look to add backup power capacity before the next PSPS event rather than during one. Most mountain cabins call for a propane-fueled standby generator due to limited natural gas infrastructure at elevation, though some homeowners are pairing a generator with a battery backup system such as a Tesla Powerwall or Enphase battery for instant, silent switchover on shorter outages. The company also continues to see steady interest in EV charger installation across Lake Arrowhead, Blue Jay, and surrounding communities, as more residents look to charge electric vehicles at home despite the region's more limited public charging infrastructure compared to flatland areas of San Bernardino County.
"Generator installation is where we spend most of our time this time of year, but a lot of these panels can't safely support a generator hookup without an upgrade first," Vincent said. "We're also seeing more EV charger installation requests than we used to, even up here at elevation -- people want to charge at home and not have to think about it."
The company recommends mountain homeowners take the following steps before peak fire-season conditions arrive: install a backup generator with an automatic transfer switch to keep critical circuits such as well pumps, refrigeration, and medical equipment powered during extended outages without manual switchover; add whole-home surge protection installed at the panel to protect electronics and appliances from voltage spikes that often occur when power is restored after a PSPS event; have the electrical panel inspected, as many Lake Arrowhead cabins built before 1995 still run on original panels that were never designed to support a modern generator or EV charger connection; and confirm permit compliance, as generator and panel work require San Bernardino County Building & Safety permits, and unpermitted work can complicate future home sales or insurance claims.
"The homeowners who call in October, right before winter storms hit, are always in a rush," Vincent said. "The ones who call in July have time to actually plan it out, get the panel looked at, and get the generator installed correctly the first time."
Lake Arrowhead Electrical published a detailed guide to PSPS preparedness, including generator sizing and transfer switch requirements, at lakearrowheadelectrical.com/psps-power-shutoffs-lake-arrowhead. California homeowners interested in a free consultation for generator installation, panel upgrades, or EV charger installation can contact Lake Arrowhead Electrical at (909) 403-4740 or visit lakearrowheadelectrical.com.
