LAFAYETTE (KRON) – Lafayette is getting ready for possible planned power outages because of the hot weather. 

PG&E has shut off the power in other Bay Area cities before as a safety measure in dangerous heat. 

Lafayette’s police chief Ben Alldritt says their plan is to rent a generator and buy a portable air conditioner to keep their city up and running. 

Lafayette City Council approved this plan on Aug. 12 and they’ll use money from an emergency response fund.

Alldritt says this plan is a good way to prepare for a possible future.

In preparation of dangerous heat and possible power shut-offs, the City of Lafayette wants to be ready.

“A power outage in and of itself we’ve had the power go out for two or three hours at a time. We all lived but 24, 48, 72 hours power outage you gotta think about the ripple effect,” Alldritt said.

In the event of a prolonged power outage, the generator would be hooked up to the Jennifer Russell building at the city’s community center. 

The building, which can hold up to more than 200 people, could then serve as a cooling center and electronics charging station. 

The portable air conditioner would be placed in the community hall. 

That building in case of an emergency would be the center of city operations.

“This could be a yearly event, multiple times in a year our citizens and our communities expect us to be better prepared as this becomes a new reality potentially for us,” Alldritt said.

PG&E says their goal in declaring a public safety power shutoff is to prevent the likelihood of a fire igniting on days of hot/dry weather. 

Customers can expect a possible power shut off when the National Weather Service issues a Red Flag Warning, including high winds and low humidity. 

People would be notified ahead of time but a shutoff could last for days. 

The chief says this plan is just the beginning of being ready.

“This isn’t a one-stop and we’re done this was just us scratching the surface of being even better prepared,” Alldritt said.

The police chief says they plan to have everything in place within the next month. 

Residents are encouraged to check out the Love Lafayette website to learn more about the city’s response to planned power outages. 

There you can also sign up for emergency alerts from the Contra Costa County community warning system.