The Potential of Large Scale Solar Preparing Rural Fire Departments for the Dangers and Risks of 21st Century Technology
Large, industrial scale solar projects are being proposed all over Western New York. While some of these projects are facing opposition from local groups that are stalling implementation, the towns that have moved forward with working with solar developers have been offered benefits like funds for school districts, tax benefits for community members, infrastructure development, and fire department support. This last benefit is an innovative opportunity that could prepare many rural emergency response teams for present day challenges.
Battery-operated devices, electric cars, and battery storage for home solar panels are becoming more common, and their presence will only increase in the years to come. However, as Tim Pillsworth explains in Fire Engineering's The Rules of Engagement for Electric Vehicle Battery Fires points out, the vast majority of fire departments are not prepared for putting out electrical fires in homes or on the road. Code compliance, which most fire departments rely on for support in prevention or for getting information on how to address disasters, are always reactive and slow to respond to new challenges. An example is truss flooring and roofing, which collapse much quicker than conventional material in a fire. It was not until there was a dramatic spike in firefighter injuries and deaths that municipalities started requiring signage to identify this material outside of homes to prepare emergency responders. Therefore, the only fire departments that are going to be prepared for addressing the increase in electrical fires are going to be the ones that are pursuing training and preparation for their teams proactively, going above and beyond to prepare for the unknown. Our rural departments, which typically have much lower budgets than their urban counterparts, are up against even more barriers in preparation.
But some towns are getting creative with how they are addressing shortfalls. On solar farms, current fire code compliance requires that a code enforcement officer have direct access to every 150 feet of the facility. For larger industrial scale projects, that could require miles of additional emergency access roads. However, there is a clause that states that this code can be modified, and towns like Mount Morris and Burns used the opportunity to have EDF- Renewables fund $100,000 worth of all-terrain equipment for their fire departments that could be used on the solar site as well as in numerous other, unrelated, emergency situations. The town of Alfred is entering similar negotiations with Northland Power, and is looking at getting a ¾ ton pickup truck as a field vehicle, similar to the Cuylerville Fire Department in Leicester. Shawn Grasby of Grasby Consulting said that through Host agreements, towns can ask for other types of fire fighting equipment and even training for how to address electrical fires in general, not just ones that could occur on the large scale solar sites. These small towns are finding ways to give their fire departments an edge to address new challenges they are being faced with.
Unfortunately, community scale and home solar projects do not offer the kind of funding that has the potential to catapult underfunded emergency services into the 21st century. The real benefits only come with negotiations around these utility scale installations. Technology is changing and evolving at an increasingly quicker pace, and we need to be prepared for all the novel risks and dangers that come our way. This dynamic landscape is one that our fire fighters are currently ill-equipped to handle. Small towns that refuse to negotiate with large scale developers are missing out on big opportunities to fund much needed updates for essential services - and are leaving our emergency responders without the life saving measures they need to combat current risks and dangers. Grasby Consulting is dedicated to helping fire departments and will do whatever it can to make sure first responders have what they need to maintain safety.
This story is told by Shawn Grasby and written by Anna Purpera.
