Question: Regarding Hawaiian Electric’s plan to shut down power to avoid wildfires, how are we supposed to get the advance warning, if there is any?

Answer: “Existing customers, especially those in the initial Public Safety Power Shutoff areas, are encouraged to log in to their online account to update their contact information. And customers with special medical needs should go to hawaiianelectric.com/medicalneedsalerts to fill out a Medical Needs Communications Form,” Darren Pai, a Hawaiian Electric spokesperson, said in an email Tuesday. They should do so now, before the PSPS program begins.

Customers across the utility’s five-island service area can go to hawaiianelectric.com for links to update their contact information, or to create an online account or to download the company’s mobile app. It’s important to maintain current contact information because, to answer your question, PSPS notifications will be delivered via email, phone calls, texts, social media updates, mobile app notifications, and news releases, according to the company’s website.

Hawaiian Electric says it will provide as much notice as possible — 24 to 48 hours is the best-case scenario — but might need to shut off power with little or no notice if conditions are suddenly hazardous.

The initial PSPS areas, with historically higher rates of wildfires and a combination of risk factors such as dry vegetation and strong wind, include:

>> Oahu: Waianae, Makaha, Nanakuli, Maili and Kaena Point.

>> Hawaii island: North Hawaii between Kohala (below 18-mile marker) and Waikoloa, in West Hawaii between Kalaoa and Holualoa, and between Mauna Kea Access Road and Waikii Ranch.

>> Maui County: West Maui, Upcountry, parts of Central and South Maui, and parts of central Molokai.

Hawaiian Electric announced in late May that it would launch the PSPS program July 1 to reduce the risk of wildfires. Fallen power lines were a factor in Maui’s devastating fires last August, which blazed through overgrown dry brush and incinerated much of Lahaina.

The launch date doesn’t guarantee that the electricity will go out that day, but HECO will be ready to power down if weather conditions or forecasts warrant it.

Customers, especially those with special medical needs, are urged to prepare now for potentially lengthy outages. The form mentioned earlier authorizes HECO to share the customer’s contact information with first responders and social service agencies who might check up on them, and collects email and phone contact information for notifications of any planned outage.

For more information about all aspects of the PSPS program, see hawaiianelectric.com/PSPS.

Q: I have been trying for at least 10 days to access the DCCA PVL system to renew two licenses. Every time one tries to log on this message appears: “We are currently experiencing a high volume of users on this site resulting in unusually slow lag times. We apologize and appreciate your patience as we work on resolving this issue. Please try again later.”… To have license renewal reminders go out and not give licensees a chance to renew and get penalized is pretty ridiculous and unfair to me. … What’s going on?

A: PVL stands for Professional and Vocational Licensing, a division of the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. On Tuesday, we checked the website mypvl.dcca.hawaii.gov, saw the same message, emailed the DCCA and heard back late that afternoon that the problem was long fixed and the message had remained as a precaution; it was removed by Wednesday morning.

“In early May, the MyPVL site experienced extended loading times for a period of three days. The issue was identified and resolved. A notice for users remained posted as a precautionary measure and was not intended to discourage users from accessing the site. The MyPVL page is operational, and users should not encounter any issues when utilizing its services. Please note that users have until the end of the month to renew their licenses,” spokesperson Ashton Stallings said in an email.

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.