Fire Department Solar Panel Training

1 2 courtesy of u s.

Fire department solar panel training.

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. And nfpa 1403 standard on live fire training evolutions. Roof vents solar thermal panels and photovoltaic arrays pose a trip. Fire fighting strategies and procedures.

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. All is quiet at the dale neighborhood fire department. The first way is by turning off your inverter by a simple flip of the switch located on the front panel see picture below. Solar panels can pose significant risks to fire fighter safety with electrocution being a real threat.

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. Among these alternative energy uses are buildings equipped with solar power systems which can present a variety of significant hazards should a fire occur. More than 300 000 firefighters nationwide now have access to these new solar training opportunities through irec s partnership with the iaff and through the support of the u s. 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.

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. 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. The fire training program at the oregon department of public safety standards and training dpsst in partnership with the washington county fire training a.