Public health and safety study needed

The public health and monetary risks from a wildfire sparked by downed power lines can, and should, to be qualitatively analyzed and compared to public health and monetary risks from extended power outages. Some of these include:

***Health and safety***:

-Fires started by increased use of grills or fire for cooking, and candles and lanterns for lighting.

-Fires and asphyxiation dangers from use of alternative combustion fuel sources for heat or cooking sources.

-Increased spread of infectious disease, especially in vulnerable populations or families with existing illness, due lack of hot water for bathing, washing hands, cleaning soiled (by vomit or diarrhea) clothes/bedding or cleaning dishes.

-Inability to use medical devices or breast pumps for lactating women.

-increased trip/ fall hazards due to lack of light at night, particularly among the elderly.

-Food born illness caused by eating spoiled foods, particularly among vulnerable people, and from used of unsanitized baby bottles, dishes, cups, and utensils.

-Increased mental health burden for populations impacted.

***Monetary***:

-Time taken off work/ lower work productivity, especially for those working remotely or who rely on childcare that must be closed.

-Cost to replace spoiled food.

-Need to purchase alternative lighting (flashlights, lanterns), heat sources or blankets, ice and coolers, water, batteries, etc.

-Purchasing ready to eat or restaurant food during the outage.

-Loss of tourist revenue.

-Loss of revenue for local businesses.

As a certified public health professional with a master's degree in the field, I can verify that this type of analysis is not only possible, but needed, to make logical policies that protect public health and safety, instead of relying on Xcel's narrow perspective to make these decisions.