6. Restoration Management

This section addresses the reasonableness of the overall management response to the Wildfires.

SDG&E presented testimony describing its response to the Wildfires, beginning with monitoring and rapidly progressing to activation of an "emergency desk" and finally the activation of SDG&E's Emergency Operations Center.¹⁹ Ultimately SDG&E decided to call for assistance on other utilities, Arizona Public Service Company, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Sierra Pacific Power Company, Tucson Electric Power, the Salt River Project, and the Western Area Power Authority. All of them were reimbursed by SDG&E and the costs are included in the Wildfire Account. Southern California Edison Company was at risk from the fires and was not called on for assistance. The use of mutual assistance crews and additional contractor personnel was necessary to restore service in a timely fashion.

Senior management was involved in the oversight of the project and SDG&E systematically (to the extent possible following the fires) tried to reestablish service as quickly as possible. As a result, the company had to quickly assess the damage and plan a coordinated response. We find that SDG&E has met its burden of proof to show that it actively engaged in a reasonable response directed and supervised by senior management in a coordinated manner. SDG&E used a central management process that gave it the best opportunity to respond to the Wildfires in a rational and responsible fashion with the information that was available during the project. The use of the Emergency Response Center, and the operational decisions described in the testimony and in this record, meet the prudent manager standard.

¹⁹ Ex. SDG&E-1, pp. 2-3.