These days, Michael Monteiro and his crew of Southern California Edison electrical system inspectors start their day between 5-6 a.m. Morning team meetings at the yard have now moved to trucks, where the team communicates and receives work assignments digitally to maintain social distancing. ...

They’re quiet, they capture crucial high-definition images and, most of all, they’re safer. And, though also widely used in utility equipment inspections and wildfire mitigation efforts, drones have quickly become an essential tool for Southern California Edison in its dam safety inspections too. ...

For 25 years, Dan Sullivan was a firefighter and later captain for the Los Angeles City Fire Department. And on each structure fire call they responded to, he and his crew payed special attention to staying safe around electricity. ...