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 as Southern California Edison (SCE) continues to implement Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) across the region's highest fire-threat zones.
Lake Arrowhead sits within SCE's Tier 2 and Tier 3 fire-threat zones, meaning homeowners in communities such as Blue Jay, Cedar Glen, and Twin Peaks are among the most likely to see their power shut off preemptively during dry, high-wind conditions, even when local weather appears calm. The San Bernardino Mountains are especially prone to these conditions when Santa Ana winds move through the region, often prompting red flag warnings. Dense pine canopy along roads such as the Rim of the World Highway and limited circuit redundancy across communities including Crestline, Running Springs, and Arrowbear Lake mean 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 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. Most mountain cabins call for a propane-fueled standby generator, given 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 limited public charging infrastructure.
"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."
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 powered during extended outages without manual switchover; add whole-home surge protection to protect electronics from voltage spikes when power is restored; have the electrical panel inspected, as many cabins built before 1995 run on original panels not designed for modern generator or EV charger connections; and confirm permit compliance with San Bernardino County Building & Safety, as 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.
Lake Arrowhead Electrical is a locally owned, licensed, and insured electrical contractor based in Blue Jay, California, serving Lake Arrowhead, Crestline, Running Springs, Blue Jay, Cedar Glen, Rimforest, Arrowbear Lake, and Big Bear. The company specializes in electrical panel upgrades, generator installation, surge protection, and EV charger installation.
