Fire Department Solar Panel Training

1 2 courtesy of u s.

Fire department solar panel training.

Today in the united states demand for solar is at an all time high and the fire service must become educated and trained on the. Solar panels can pose significant risks to fire fighter safety with electrocution being a real threat. Under the united states department of homeland security dhs assistance to firefighter grant program fire prevention and safety grants ul examined concerns of photovoltaic pv systems and potential impacts on firefighting operations. Matt paiss of the san jose calif fire department offering further understanding of the how solar electric systems work and tips on how to stay safe.

This study focuses on structural fire fighting in buildings and structures involving solar power systems utilizing solar panels that. Roof vents solar thermal panels and photovoltaic arrays pose a trip. Fire fighting strategies and procedures. In laboratory based fire tests of roof assemblies 1 2 the maximum allowable fire spread is between approximately 20 and 40 ft 2 1 9 and 3 7 m 2 depending on whether an a b or c rating is desired.

The first way is by turning off your inverter by a simple flip of the switch located on the front panel see picture below. And nfpa 1403 standard on live fire training evolutions. Additional training video by capt. In new jersey a couple of weeks ago an 11 alarm fire destroyed a 300 000 square foot warehouse resulting in fire fighters having to pull back because the roof was covered in fully charged solar panels.

In actual roof fires with roof mounted solar panels fire damage has involved areas of between 1 000 and 183 000 ft 2 93 and 17 000 m 2. When fire departments arrive to a house fire where solar panels are interconnected to the power grid they have two options to kill the power on your solar panels and both ways are very quick. All is quiet at the dale neighborhood fire department.