Fire Department Setback warning [RE-wrenches]

[Todd Cory, Mt. Shasta Energy Services]

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> Anyone who has ever fought fire or even witnessed a crew chopping 
> access holes in a roof to gain access to an attic will realize that 
> this would be virtually impossible if a PV array were in the way.

Generally roofs with panels on the south facing side have plenty of open 
roof space for cutting holes in on the north side. I am not quite sure 
why this is such an issue or why PV is held to such excessive standards.

Todd


Joel Davidson wrote:

>
> Matt,
>
> The issue of PV as a fire hazard has been blown completely out of 
> proportion. Properly installed PV is safe. I support covering every 
> building surface with conservation, efficiency and PV materials. I 
> want PV on every home, no matter what the roof size or the occupants' 
> income. I oppose setback restrictions on code-safe and inspected solar 
> arrays. I definitely oppose limiting PV to middle-class and wealthy 
> people with big roofs.
>
> Joel Davidson
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Matt Tritt" <solarone at charter.net>
> To: <RE-wrenches at topica.com>
> Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2008 10:08 AM
> Subject: Re: Fire Department Setback warning [RE-wrenches]
>
>
>>
>>
>> I'm probably not going to win any populararity contests by saying 
>> this, but - If we can divorce ourselves from the position of our 
>> industry and see things from the perspective of a firefighter's 
>> (relative) safety while attempting to save someone's house from 
>> burning to the ground, setbacks seem very logical. Anyone who has 
>> ever fought fire or even witnessed a crew chopping access holes in a 
>> roof to gain access to an attic will realize that this would be 
>> virtually impossible if a PV array were in the way. If you look at it 
>> from the perspective of an insurance company, it's a no-brainer.
>>
>> In the case of single family dwellings, the possibilities for ground 
>> or trellis mounting systems can be very good, especially when the 
>> alternative is no PV at all. We all depend on firefighters to take 
>> risks to protect our property and doing what we can to increase their 
>> chances of survival seems like the right thing to do.
>>
>> Matt T 
>


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