[RE-wrenches] Fire fighters safety class

[Charles Picard]

Hi Dave,

These are some great questions you're asking, and you've prompted some interesting responses. I've been partnered up with a career firefighter for the past 2yrs teaching this subject, and have a few thoughts for you:

Review the NFPA's recommended best practices for interactions with PV, you can find that free training here https://lms.ulknowledgeservices.com/catalog/display.resource.aspx?resourceid=352901

The training is based on this research: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi_67iyt57PAhWDTSYKHd57DREQFggjMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ul.com%2Fglobal%2Fdocuments%2Fofferings%2Findustries%2Fbuildingmaterials%2Ffireservice%2FPV-FF_SafetyFinalReport.pdf&usg=AFQjCNEHXYPQ5_R0p-_QDW8fRvEYFx1xUg&sig2=W0zmY8dwh3D2EXk1XucXMA

That will get you headed in the right direction. As my colleague says, you can still "Put the wet stuff on the red stuff" but you need to understand the rules you're playing by.  This study does address how arrays may be de-energized, you'll notice that foam does not work and should not be used.

You'll likely find the level of understanding on Li-Ion technology is woefully lacking, even amongst PV industry professionals. If you're going to tackle the subject, I recommend doing a little research on the types of construction and chemistries used. Too often folks lead their presentations with exploding hoverboards or stories about the FAA ban. In reality these are apples to oranges comparisons. For the Powerwall specifically, they have published an Emergency Response Guide that is publically available. They have also released results of a burn-test study that is very informative.

There are a few YouTube videos floating around as well. Captain Matt Paiss has some publicly available, and recently collaborated with the IAFF and IREC to create some online training content that looks very good.

Feel free to contact me directly with any questions.


Charles Picard
Sr. Compliance Engineer | SolarCity<http://www.solarcity.com>
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