[RE-wrenches] California State Fire Marshal's "Solar Photovoltaic Installation Guidelines"

Jerry Shafer jerrysgarage01 at gmail.com
Wed Feb 19 18:59:26 PST 2014 

Wrenches
I have had two buildings involved in a fire after we were completed and
down the road neither fires had anything to do with our work at all. In one
fire there was a unit next door (common wall) that had an appliance over
heat that was left on while there was no one there and started the fire.
The fire department shut the service down as required, cut into the attic
and made there way through to where they worked on the fire, my metal
conduit had a glove print on it, the inverter was all wet and no one got
hurt. The second fire was the result of an AC contractor pinching a wire
under the home very close to our conduit again power shut off access
reached and fire put out, again no one hot hurt do to the solar being
there, here the insulation on the wire was gone but still inside the
conduit safe. We only use metal conduit from module to inverter and to
meter unless it is underground no fire there.
If we follow simple rules and protect the system where we put the modules
should not be an issue and I understand needing access but then why does
solar hot water not apply to the PV rules for location. If any of you saw
the natural gas fire in northern cal some years back the fire department
did not even get near the roof they put the water cannons on it and ripped
the roof right off the homes, blow through the windows, I know this is not
what always happens but we all need to step back including the fire
marshals and think this through because killing the solar industry is not
the answer.
Jerry


On Fri, Feb 14, 2014 at 10:22 AM, Dan Fink <danbob88 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Bill H;
> I believe I'm the firefighter you are referring to, and I'm allowed here
> on the Wrenches list because I've been a professional RE installer since
> 1994--still my career-- and a firefighter in a rural area  with a large
> percentage of PV and wind installs. A couple talking points:
>
> ~Thanks Bill Brooks for explaining here why the roofing class ABC rating
> system has nothing to do with firefighter rooftop access/egress.
>
> ~Unfortunately ventilating the other side of the roof doesn't always work,
> wind from the wrong direction, wrong internal compartment in the structure,
> etc. Also we use chainsaws with carbide teeth, the axes are for flipping
> open the roof sections; And egress is a problem...do we hang roof ladders
> from PV modules to escape a roof collapse to the other side?
>
> ~A fire commander will *never* risk the lives of his responders to the
> unknown. Instead the answer will be indirect attack - protect exposures -
> let it burn. As a RE professional it is *your*  job to provide safe designs
> and installations, label everything simply, obviously and properly as to
> what is there and how to shut it off, and more importantly reach out to
> your local fire department with the details on the systems you have
> installed in their response area, so if they get a call there, they know
> exactly what they are dealing with in advance. The more they know, the
> higher the chance they can save the house.
>
> ~ There has been at least one high-profile and high-dollar "let it burn"
> case in the last year. Not good for the PV industry.
>
> Will see many of you in Denver next month. Somehow I feel like I better
> keep watching my back.....yikes.
>
> Dan Fink,
> Executive Director;
> Otherpower
> Buckville Energy Consulting
> Buckville Publications LLC
>
> NABCEP / IREC accredited Continuing Education Providers
> 970.672.4342
>
>
>
>
> On Fri, Feb 14, 2014 at 9:20 AM, Bill Hennessy <bill at berkssolar.com>wrote:
>
>> Andrew--Thank-you for your work to dampen the fire hysteria that's
>> sweeping the roofs of residential solar. Between the ridiculous setbacks
>> (out here you'd never see a firefighter on a house roof swinging an axe,
>> but if so inclined, they could go on the other side of the peak).
>>
>> And now we need to install mythical products for de-energizing and
>> fire-protection racking. Unless the big leasing companies can beat back the
>> anti-solar "safety" club, rooftop residential is toast. PV leaders and
>> consultants have caved. A short time ago, a firefighter (what was he doing
>> on the wrench page anyways?) urged installers not to look at their bottom
>> line and take in the big picture.
>>
>> That is exactly what you are doing in opposing these rules that are set
>> up for problems that don't exist. The firefighting and code making
>> industries are big bucks.
>>
>> Let's see, wrenches and folks who write the code can't figure out what it
>> says. And in our county in PA, there are 90 different permitting agencies
>> that will be reading the same codes and ordering their interpretations
>> before we get a permit.
>>
>> The real big issue is sustainability and climate change and we need to
>> have a society that embraces a rush to PV and not smother it with the love
>> of safety. Want to stop fires? Let's go after toaster ovens.
>>
>> Bill Hennessy
>> Berks Solar, LLC
>>
>>
>>   ------------------------------
>>  *From:* Solar Energy Solutions <solarenergysolutions at yahoo.com>
>> *To:* RE-wrenches <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
>> *Sent:* Thursday, February 13, 2014 3:13 PM
>> *Subject:* Re: [RE-wrenches] California State Fire Marshal's "Solar
>> Photovoltaic Installation Guidelines"
>>
>>   <https://us-mg0.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?.rand=5kojk045gpsqg#>
>>  Today at 11:41 AM
>> Dear colleagues,
>>
>> Rooftop real estate available for solar is of unparalleled and monumental
>> importance.  As we head into our 6th great extinction the solar industry
>> needs to fight tooth and nail to gain 100% access to every inch of
>> available roof space.  The fire fighting industry needs to adapt to
>> solar, NOT vice versa.
>>
>> In Oregon, one person, myself, stopped the 12 person BCD committee from
>> adopting the anti solar 3 foot pathway around solar arrays.  The committee
>> would not listen to reason.  I went to the governors office saying and
>> showing that if the Cal. Guidelines were adopted as code 100% of the roofs
>> we had installed systems on would be 100%illegal and unviable.
>>
>> Yada yada yada, we got the Koyaanisqatsi Rule.
>>
>> *304.9.1 General Pathway Requirements *
>> *Exception **1.1. *Where the PV array does not exceed 25% as measured in
>> plan view of total roof area of the structure, a minimum 12 inch (305mm)
>> unobstructed pathway, shall be maintained along each side of any horizontal
>> ridge.
>> *1.2*. Where the solar array area exceeds 25% as measured in plan view
>> of total roof area of the structure, a minimum of one 36 inch (914 mm)
>> unobstructed pathway from ridge to eave, over a structurally supported
>> area, must be provided in addition to a minimum 12 inch (305 mm)
>> unobstructed pathway along each side of any horizontal ridge.
>>
>> I still see this as a failure.  I had 40% going into the final meeting
>> and one foot from the peak only on pitches greater than 4:12.  But, by that
>> time everyone hated me soooo badly for holding such a hard lined solar
>> centric perspective, and for succeeding in going over their heads, it was
>> all I could do to get them to meet.
>>
>> Unassisted in this battle I was exhausted and unable to follow the
>> proceedings to the end.  And, in the end, a rafter span chart hostile to
>> solar was thrown in and now we are dealing with that.
>>
>> Here is the link to the  Oregon Solar Installation Specialty Code:
>> http://www.cbs.state.or.us/bcd/programs/solar/solar_code/100110_OSISC.pdf
>>
>> The concept and good intentions of a statewide code were good.
>> Unfortunately, the task was left to folk who were not as friendly towards
>> or knowledgeable of solar as one would think would be asked to be part of
>> such a noble cause.
>>
>> Respectfully Submitted,
>>
>>
>>
>> *Andrew Koyaanisqatsi*
>> *President*
>> *Solar Energy Solutions, Inc.*
>> *Since 1987,*
>> *Moving Portland and Beyond *
>> *to an Environmentally Sustainable Future.*
>>
>> *503-238-4502 <503-238-4502> **www.SolarEnergyOregon.com*<http://www.solarenergyoregon.com/>
>> *"Better one's House too little one day*
>> *than too big all the Year after."*
>>
>>
>>
>> * On Thursday, February 13, 2014 11:45 AM, Mark Frye
>> <markf at berkeleysolar.com <markf at berkeleysolar.com>> wrote: *
>>
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>> *There are so so many well informed people on this list, and I am so
>> lazy. I wish someone could just lay it all out":We got the 2012 ABC thing
>> nearly identical to NPPA1 with the set backs and labelingWe got the 2014
>> NEC with the de-energizing the conductors and equipment We got the IBC
>> which appears to say one thing about fire rating ie. needs to be the same
>> as roofAnd we got the UL thing that seems to be based on the combined
>> rating of the module and racking system Wow, I commend anyone who is
>> willing to go into a building department and lay down a set of plans.MarkOn
>> 2/13/2014 10:50 AM, William Korthof wrote: > Bill,>> Thanks for the
>> attached info. I don't see where the fire rating class of solar modules is
>> addressed though...>> In the IBC, the specific section (I believe 902.4 or
>> close to that) seems to call for solar modules to carry the same fire
>> rating class as the roofing class required of the building. At least that's
>> the interpretation I initially got from my local building and safety
>> office. They've been sitting on my plans for two weeks so far. When they
>> turn them around, I may have more to talk about. >>> /wk>> William Korthof>
>> 714.875.3576 <714.875.3576>> Sustainable Solutions> #956904>> On Feb 13,
>> 2014, at 9:34 AM, "Bill Brooks" <**billbrooks7 at yahoo.com*<billbrooks7 at yahoo.com>
>>
>>
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>> *> wrote: >> Yes Peter,>> It is called the 2012 International Fire Code.
>> The California guidelines> were turned into code in 2012. There is an
>> explanation document I wrote > available online at:>> *
>> *http://solarabcs.org//about/publications/reports/fireguideline/index.html*<http://solarabcs.org//about/publications/reports/fireguideline/index.html>
>>
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>> *>> For those states that are using NFPA 1 as their fire code, it is
>> nearly> identical.>> Bill.>>
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