Wildfire in southwest Colorado is a year-round reality. With warmer winters, drier forests, and wind events that can turn a single spark into a catastrophe, LPEA is rethinking what it means to run a reliable grid.

In this episode of Southwest Power Stories, host Monica Vick takes you inside the cooperative's wildfire mitigation strategy. You'll hear how a machine learning platform called Firescape is mapping risk hour by hour, why reclosers get reconfigured when fire danger spikes, what a Public Safety Power Shutoff actually looks like from inside the dispatch center, and how vegetation management crews are climbing trees ninety percent of the workday to keep the lines clear.

You'll also meet LPEA's 2026 sponsorship partner, Wildfire Adapted Partnership, and learn how neighborhood ambassadors and a chipper rebate program are helping homeowners adapt to the ever-warming climate.

Featuring LPEA CEO Chris Hansen, Senior Director of Engineering Ryne Waggoner, Director of Distribution Toby Allred, Relief Dispatcher Rachel Killinen, and Wildfire Adapted Partnership Executive Director Ashley Downing.

Learn more about Firescape here: https://www.firescape.ai/
Apply for a chipper rebate here: https://www.wildfireadapted.org/chipper-rebate
Discover more about LPEA's Vegetation Management plan here: https://lpea.coop/vegmgmt
Sign up for our Watt's Up newsletter here: https://lpea.coop/newsletter

In this month's newsletter recap, host Monica Vick covers what members need to know heading into April, including the cooperative's historic transition to energy independence on April 1, the CommunityPowerX regional energy forum on April 23 at the Durango Arts Center, Board of Directors elections updates, town halls in Durango and Pagosa Springs, internship opportunities, a downed power line safety reminder, and a full calendar of upcoming events and deadlines. Stay connected at lpea.coop.

On April 1, 2026, La Plata Electric ends decades of buying nearly all its wholesale power from a single supplier and goes back to it's roots by stepping into a regional energy market for the first time. In this episode, we follow CEO Chris Hansen as he travels through the service territory, meeting members over coffee to discuss what this transition means for rates, reliability, and the co-op's energy future. From joining Southwest Power Pool to exploring battery energy storage, this is the story of a cooperative taking control of its own destiny.