Engineering Deepdive: Electric Grid Disaster - The California Camp Fire
In this one-time class, your student will be introduced to the world of engineering by learning the exact mechanisms that led to the spark that caused the California Camp Wildfire, the 2nd deadliest wildfire in US history.
Mrs. Erika | Environmental Engineer
Average rating:
4.4
Number of reviews:(13)
What's included
1 live meeting
55 mins in-class hoursClass Experience
US Grade 9 - 12
Beginner Level
In 2018, a failure in a utility transmission tower sparked the deadliest wildfire in California history. In this class, students will learn about the series of events that led to this disaster. This is an engineering-leaning class. We will mainly focus on the failure of the physical components of the transmission tower. We will also touch on climate change and how utility companies function. Below are some of the topics we will cover. What we will cover: • Transmission tower/lines basics • The problem with our infrastructure • The failure point • The aftermath • Solutions for the future This class is great for students who are interested in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, environmental engineering, climate change, or environmental science. *Due to the nature of this topic please see the parental guidance section
Other Details
Parental Guidance
This wildfire ultimately resulted in 85 deaths. While we will not go into detail about these deaths but they are brought up in class as a result of the wildfire. Our main focus is on the engineering aspect of what happened and how we can avoid it in the future. Regulations may come up as one of the solutions in class during the discussion (Ex: A student might bring up "regulations should be put in place to make sure the utility company is monitoring the safety of their equipment").
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
The Camp Fire Public Report:
https://htv-prod-media.s3.amazonaws.com/files/pge-the-camp-fire-public-report-1592448040.pdf
CALFire:
https://www.fire.ca.gov/our-impact/remembering-the-camp-fire
National Institue of Standards and Tech:
https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2021/02/new-timeline-deadliest-california-wildfire-could-guide-lifesaving-research
An Animated Map of the Camp Fire's Rampage:
https://www.nist.gov/image/animated-map-camp-fires-rampage
CA CampFire Structure Status Map:
https://wildfiretoday.com/2018/11/13/cal-fire-releases-map-showing-status-of-structures-affected-by-camp-fire/
A Case Study of the Camp Fire (Response):
http://resources.firesafemarin.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/NIST.TN_.2252.pdf
Interactive map: Compare size of fire to US cities
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/california-wildfires-2018-size-compare-us-cities-map-n935946
Joined December, 2023
4.4
13reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
Bachelor's Degree in Science from University of California, San Diego
I have a B.S. in Environmental Engineering. I am also from California and lived there when this event took place.Reviews
Live One-Time Class
$20
per classMeets once
55 min
Completed by 4 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 14-18
1-3 learners per class
