Everly dx mixed team Dickinson

The defense calls sage everly to the stand…

Please introduce yourself to the jury.

Hi, I’m Sage Everly

What do you do for work?

I run a company called PC, or Power Consulting. At PC, we help utility companies audit their procedures. What that means is we’ll go in and look at their day-to-day maintenance to emergency repair, and basically everything in between, to make sure it's up to standard.

What’s your educational background?

I attended Case Western University and received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

What did you do after you graduated?

After I graduated, I worked for Big City Electric. I worked on a team in charge of designing transmission lines for developing countries.

What’s your role in this case?

I was retained by the defense to analyze the equipment, maintenance, and conduct of MG&E.

What material did you review in your work for this case?

I reviewed the police report, images from the scene, MG&E’s Manual, the inspection reports, and MG&E’s GridWatch console.

Were these materials sufficient to come to your conclusion?

yes

What method did you use in your work for this case?

I used the SCAR method (Sufficiency, Cause, Adequacy, and Responsiveness); it's standard for my field.

Did you reliably apply this method?

Yes

So, Ms.Everly, What conclusion(s) did you come to in this case?

I concluded that MG&E's equipment, the way they maintained that equipment, and the way they acted the night of the fire were all in compliance with industry standards.

What kind of electrical infrastructure did MG&E have?

They had standard electrical equipment; in this case, I was focused on the distribution pole on Dip Road.

Why were you focused on the pole at Dip Road?

Well, a car crashed into that pole and later a fire started at its location. A fire which turned into a wildfire.

Can you tell me more about the pole on Dip Road?

The Dip Road pole was a standard wooden utility pole: it had a 22-inch diameter, buried at a depth of 6 feet. It’s what you’d typically see for a wooden utility pole.

What’s the purpose of a distribution pole?

It's the final step in the electrical distribution process. It lowers the voltage of electricity, which is then sent out to customers.

How does the pole do that?

The pole has a canister-looking device near the top of the pole that’s called a transformer, and this is what lowers the voltage.

How does the transformer on the Dip Road pole fall into your analysis?

The transformer has all these wires that carry electricity, and they have to pass through bushings, which act as insulators, before entering or exiting the transformer. For the Dip Road pole, these bushings had a crack through them.

How does a crack in the bushings affect the transformer?

Well since the bushings, which are insulators, were cracked it means that electricity can leave its line of travel AKA arc. That arcing gets worse, leads to sparks, and then potentially fire. Think of it like a crack in a dam. At first, the water trickles, but then the pressure makes it worse and water comes gushing out.

Do you know what the Dip Road transformer was like before the car crash?

I can’t say for certain what its condition was. However, I reviewed MG&E’s inspection reports and the transformer was getting regular maintenance and inspections.

Was there anything else that led you to that conclusion?

Well, it never failed before the collision. It was reliably supplying power. So it’s unlikely that maintenance issues, without the collision, would’ve caused that crack and the fire.

So we know what caused the damage, but how could utility companies like MG&E have become aware of damage to their equipment?

Well, they have these systems that remotely monitor and report on the status of their equipment. Namely, SCADA and EMS. The SCADA panel was clear, so they never received any electrical warning. EMS, however, gave a warning about rising temperature and particulate levels.

Let’s break those down, what’s SCADA?

Well imagine a really big computer screen like the one in the BatCave and how it remotely reports crime. SCADA does just that, but for electricity. It detects trips, ground faults, and energized circuits. Basically, it shows how things are functioning electrically.

Based on your view, was MG&E’s SCADA functioning properly?

I didn’t see any issues with MG&E’s SCADA. They were using the most up-to-date software. Fully compliant with industry standards.

And what’s EMS?

It’s another system that remotely checks on equipment. Kind of another app on that same batcave screen. Except, EMS reports changes in temperature and air quality. Not electricity.

Were there any issues with that system?

Occasionally MG&E’s EMS would report false positives.

Was that uncommon with these kinds of systems?

No, that’s not irregular at all for these kinds of systems. I usually recommend some kind of investigation as to why that’s happening. However, in MG&E’s case, there is no way of knowing if that would’ve stopped the false positives from happening.

Additionally, MG&E had a contingency plan for how to deal with this outlined in their manual.

Would you recognize a copy of that manual if I were to show it to you today in court?

Permission to approach with exhibit 4

Do you recognize what I just handed you?

What is it?

Is it a fair and accurate copy?

Has it been changed or altered in any way?

Your Honor, at this time the defense moves to enter exhibit 4 into evidence.

Yes!

What does the MG&E manual say about EMS and SCADA warnings?

If you flip to page 6, section 4.2 on when a field response is required, you can see that its policy says always inspect if there is a SCADA warning, but dispatching an inspector for EMS is discretionary.

Why does EMS have discretionary dispatch when SCADA does not?

Well, like I said earlier MG&E’s EMS had been sending some false positives. To address that, MG&E’s manual called for discretionary dispatch regarding the EMS or any system that’s given a false positive within a 90-day period. It’s a reasonable policy that’s in line with industry standards.

So, on the night of the fire did EMS give a warning?

Yes, EMS did show rising temperatures and air quality readings. However, it could’ve been another false positive or have detected a fire caused by another mechanical or natural source. It was New Year’s after all, so fireworks aren’t out of the question.

Did SCADA ever give an electrical warning that night?

No. It never indicated any kind of electrical fault.

So did MG&E follow standard procedure on the night of the crash?

Yes, they did. SCADA gave no warning, so no dispatch was required by their manual OR by industry standards. EMS did give a warning, but it could’ve been a false positive. On a holiday night like New Year’s, it is very important for companies like MG&E to preserve their manpower. So by not sending anyone to the site of a possible false-positive, they were perfectly in line with their own policies, and industry standards.

So in your opinion, what happened that night?

I conclude that MG&E’s discretion to not dispatch any inspectors that night was inline with both internal, and industry standards.

In regards to the fire I think it’s most likely from (1) the car crashing into the dip road pole, (2) which damages the pole and its transformer, (3) and that damage leads to sparks, then fire.