Some firefighters in the capitol region will soon be getting a slightly different type of trainging designed to keep them safe on the job: Solar panel training.
As more and more consumers purchase the panels in hope of reducing monthly power bills the odds of firefighters needing to put out a blaze on such a home improve.
“It’s just a matter of time,” says E.J. Seney, an Assistant Fire Chief in Albany.
A report issued by the Fire Protection Research Foundation in 2010 pointed out the number one concern among firefighters related to solar panels is firefighters should consider the panels to always be charged.
Cutting into a roof to vent the building is a standard firefighting tactic that takes on a new wrinkle in the presence of solar panels. The electricity running through panels is a threat in such a case, as is the glass on the panels.
Assistant Fire Chief David Quinn of South Schodack Fire Department is having panels installed on his home. He points out that in the case of a fire the panels can pose a danger to firefighters, not homeowners. He says the homeowner’s best bet is the same: Get out.
“We’ll figure it out when we get there,” says Quinn, “but if we get the information ahead of time or if the homeowner is there and meets the firefighters outside just to let them know they have solar panels on the house, that’s helpful.”
Quinn says in some cases municipalities will notify fire departments of houses that get solar panels installed.
Post time: Feb-19-2017