XCEL Energy Announces Public Safety Power-Shutoff on Friday, Jan. 16 for Larimer and Weld Counties

To: Administrators, Directors and Staff From: Melanie Roth, Emergency Response Coordinator, Health Facilities & Emergency Medical Services Division Re: XCEL Energy Announces Public Safety Power-Shutoff (PSPS) on Friday, Jan. 16 for Parts of Larimer County, and parts of Weld County Due to extreme wildfire risk and a Fire Weather Watch issued by the National Weather Service, Xcel Energy has issued notice of a power shutoff (Public Safety Power Shutoff or PSPS) on Friday, January 16, 2026, in parts of Larimer and Weld counties, from approximately 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Unplanned outages may also occur due to damage from extreme winds.  Xcel crews will be staged at the Fort Collins service center on Friday to patrol and restore lines as quickly as possible, once it is safe to do so. For damaged lines, it may take up to several days for power to be restored from planned or unplanned outages.  Please check the up-to-date Xcel Electric Outage Map to see if your address is impacted (Even if you are not in a PSPS zone, high winds can cause other outages). You can monitor the event on the Public Safety Power Shutoff Event Update.  Placing an emphasis on delivering care even in the face of power outages must be a priority to protect residents, clients, patients and staff from harm. Preparation for residential providers Have emergency plans and arrangements in place if you cannot provide generator power and need to evacuate medically compromised residents. Other suggestions: Consider your DME supply and potential needs. Consult your facility’s emergency plan. Notify engineering and facility staff as early as possible of additional power needs. Review evacuation plans and prepare staff in case of power outages, and make sure your transportation is in good working order. Monitor indoor temperatures. Increase the frequency of patient observations, especially those at high risk.  If you lose heat and are in a high-rise building, prepare to move individuals from lower floors to higher floors (remember, heat rises). Conserve supplies, such as ice and fuel, based on anticipated or current shortages. Keep medications cool. Place medications that require refrigeration in an ice chest or cooler packed with ice, cooling bricks, or cold packs. Use a thermometer to monitor medication temperatures to ensure they're safe to use. Avoid freezing medication by making sure it does not directly touch the ice. Plan and consider options and plans for access to food and meals during the power outage. Preparation for home health/home care agencies and in-home hospice providers with clients at home:  Agencies are responsible for having individualized emergency plans for their clients, based on their individual needs. Encourage your clients who have durable medical equipment to have extra batteries and/or a car charger available. Keeping extra concentrator batteries fully charged will give your clients oxygen for longer if you lose power. If possible, keep enough fully-charged batteries to last a couple of days. Arrange with clients’ oxygen suppliers for back-up emergency supply that does not require electricity, such as oxygen tanks and cylinders. Make sure your clients know how to set up and use their back up emergency oxygen supply. If you have clients that rely on several different types of electrical assistive devices, he/she/they may want to look into purchasing a generator. Temporary use generators can be purchased at most hardware and department stores (such as Lowe’s, Home Depot, Sears, and similar stores). Here are resources that can help home health providers prepare their clients during emergencies: How to Survive an Extended Power Outage with Home Medical Equipment Home Use Devices: How to Prepare for and Handle Power Outages for Medical Devices that Require Electricity Emergency Power Planning for People Who Use Electricity and Battery-Dependent Assistive Technology and Medical Devices Preparation for response operations Since all emergencies start locally, we want you to know that local public health agencies and regional healthcare coalitions have been notified about the power outages. Make sure that you all have the appropriate local contact information, should you need to reach out for emergency assistance: Locations in Larimer County for sheltering or power supply, currently referred to as “comfort centers” are available through your local emergency management contact.  Find your local emergency management contact information (and sign up for emergency alerts on this site) Find your regional health care coalition Find your local public health agency  For assistance with movement, placement or care of patients or residents, complete this Health Care Facility/Agency Status Check-In Form detailing any assistance you need. This form will be routed to the appropriate response partners. You may also email cdphe_oepr_medops@state.co.us.