Power outages are no longer rare, isolated events. Across the Western U.S., agencies are dealing with a growing mix of challenges, from PSPS events and extreme heat to storms and aging infrastructure, that directly impact signal operations and public safety.
That’s why intersection resilience has moved from a planning concept to an operational priority.
On January 14, 2026, Western Systems is hosting a technical webinar focused on real-world backup power deployments, cabinet design decisions, and why more agencies are moving toward “Plus” cabinet configurations to keep intersections online when it matters most.
Why Intersection Resilience Matters Now
Field experience across California, the Pacific Northwest, and the Mountain West shows a clear trend:
backup power strategies must evolve alongside changing grid conditions and operational demands.
During outages, agencies are asking practical questions:
- What actually performs during extended power loss?
- How do cabinet layout and thermal management affect reliability?
- What designs make maintenance easier during emergencies?
- How can hybrid backup power improve uptime without increasing complexity?
This webinar is designed to answer those questions, based on deployments, not theory.
Intersection Resilience in Practice brings together agency and industry perspectives to share lessons learned directly from the field.
Attendees will learn:
- How cabinets and backup power performed during storms, heat waves, and PSPS events
- How agencies addressed thermal, spacing, and mixed-equipment challenges
- Best practices for outage-ready, technician-friendly cabinet layouts
- How hybrid backup power solutions increased uptime while reducing maintenance
- Proven practices from real deployments that can be applied immediately
The session also includes live Q&A, technical guidance, and a short interactive trivia segment to keep things engaging.
This training is ideal for:
- Traffic engineers
- Signal technicians
- ITS and operations teams
- Maintenance crews
- Agency planners preparing for infrastructure upgrades
- Consulting engineers supporting agency design decisions
Whether you’re planning upgrades or supporting day-to-day operations, the content is practical, applicable, and grounded in real agency experience.
Speakers Bringing Field Perspective
The webinar features speakers with deep operational and technical backgrounds:
- Ken Buchanan
Traffic Signal Electrician Crew Chief, Transportation Operations Division,
City of Seattle Department of Transportation
Ken brings more than 30 years of hands-on experience supporting signal maintenance, safety, and system reliability across a complex urban network. - Mike Olsen
Backup Power Solutions Manager, Western Systems
With over 40 years in the traffic industry, Mike has spent decades working with agencies on UPS systems, backup power design, training, and troubleshooting. - Zach Hoiting
Senior Vice President, Western Systems
Zach provides leadership perspective on system design, operational resilience, and long-term infrastructure planning. - Mike Hough
Territory Manager, Western Systems
Mike supports agencies across Southern California, bringing field insight from detection, cabinet, and backup power projects in complex operating environments.
This session is intentionally focused on what works in practice:
- No sales pitch
- No abstract theory
- Just field-proven guidance agencies can use now
All content is based on real deployments, operational data, and technician experience.
Webinar Details
Date: January 14, 2026
Time: 11:00 AM Pacific (US & Canada)
Format: Live Zoom webinar
👉 Register to join the conversation and learn how agencies are building more resilient intersections.