Letter: Why we stay behind


Why would utility workers stay behind during these deadly, destructive fires? We pack our families and send them away and we stay behind. We say goodbye to our families and pets, not knowing when we would see them again, or if our home will be there in the end, or when resolution will finally come.

Why?

We stay behind because we have a job to do for our community. Utilities are not automated and require both proactive and responsive actions. It is our job to support the first responders, to ensure their safety, and the safety our community. Active powerlines in a fire area can kill firefighters; active gas lines can cause explosions; maximum water needs to be provided for firefighting efforts; communication needs to be available to emergency responders. None of this is automated and all of it requires utility companies and staff to be ready in real time.

When you turn on your lights you have power; when you open your faucet, you have water; when you check your social media or have a phone call you have communications; when you cook your food, you have gas. This feels so automatic that some consumers have an expectation that these services can never be interrupted.

So why do we stay behind? Because we want to make sure that our first responders can do their herculean job to save our community as safely as possible. Because as a utility, we have a responsibility to our customers to provide them with the best quality, most reliable and safest product. Because utility services depend on people like us.

We continue to work around the clock, watching the fire move and trying to predict where it is headed and what we need to do next. We are working to prepare our facilities for impact and get ready for the fight to save our infrastructure and repair any of it that is damaged. Early mornings, long days and late nights are filled with the same worries felt by everyone being evacuated. We miss our families and pets and know they are worrying about us as we get through this incident.

After the fire has passed, we will assess the damages and the race to repair them. We want our community back to normal just as much as anyone, and we miss our friends and families desperately. We are committed to making sure it is safe for you to return home with your lights on, water running, communications moving, and gas on.

Please be patient and please be kind.
We are doing this for you.
We stay for you.

Jennifer Lukins
Lukins Brothers Water Company, Inc.