Keeping Our Communities Safe and Prepared for Emergencies
SDG&E’s commitment to safety and emergency preparedness goes well beyond providing safe, reliable, and clean energy to our customers. Our region is increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and unpredictable and often extreme weather conditions, such as prolonged drought, higher temperatures, wildfires, and flooding. SDG&E’s SAFE San Diego giving initiative supports organizations that educate and prepare communities for emergencies, especially underserved and hard-to-reach communities, and that strengthen the capacity of emergency responders.
In partnership with agencies like the American Red Cross, 2-1-1 San Diego, Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs), and Fire Safe Councils, SDG&E supports nearly 100 local projects and programs focused on wildfire education and preparedness, defensible space, climate adaptation, and regional resiliency.
In addition, SDG&E’s Fire Science and Climate Adaptation team works hand-in-hand with regional universities and local, state, and national agencies to develop comprehensive wildfire safety programs that help protect our region. Learn more here about SDG&E’s commitment to wildfire safety.
Regional Resiliency Initiative with the American Red Cross
Through partnership with SDG&E, the American Red Cross is creating a sustainable, community-wide network that encourages preparedness, carries out response and recovery training, and supports resiliency in the face of disaster. SDG&E’s support of the American Red Cross has helped over one million people to prepare, plan, or train to respond in a disaster or an emergency.
Learn more about the American Red Cross.
Working Together to Build Safer Communities
Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) are volunteer teams that are trained by local fire departments in disaster response skills. CERT volunteers are a critical resource in helping local agencies respond to emergencies and disasters in local communities.
In 2019, SDG&E’s SAFE San Diego giving imitative provided funding that enabled 3,862 active volunteers to protect more than 55,737 homes and structures through community fire safety programs and defensible space projects. SAFE San Diego supported 112 CERT drills and 414 training workshops.
Learn more about San Diego County CERT.
Meet the Fire Safe Kids II
Each year, the Burn Institute and SDG&E partner to teach more than 15,000 kids how to be Fire Safe Kids. These free educational fire safety presentations offered to schools throughout San Diego County teach pre-teens about the high rate of juvenile-set fires, especially in and around school grounds, and address the potential legal, social, and medical repercussions of playing with fire.
SDG&E also partners with the Burn Institute to install free life-saving smoke alarms for qualified seniors in San Diego County. The SDG&E-Burn Institute partnership also includes an education program for homeowners living in high wildfire risk regions. The program provides safety information to the general public and to hard-to-reach and underserved populations.
Learn more about the Burn Institute.