Solar panels are everywhere, from tiny squares powering roadside signs to rooftops shining with panels harvesting sunlight for electricity — but they are presenting new challenges for firefighters.
One of the first things a firefighter does in a structure fire is cut the power for safety. But how do you do that when the power isn’t coming from the utility grid? How do firefighters ventilate a roof when it’s covered in solar panels without electrocuting themselves? Is it safe for a firefighter in full gear to step on a solar panel? (The answer is no, according to Fire Rescue Magazine.)
These questions pose a problem for modern firefighters and are some of the reasons the Madison Fire Department applied for grants to install solar photovoltaic panels at their station. Madison has received two grants totaling nearly $270,000 to install 236 solar panels, which are expected to produce more than 105,000 kWh of energy per year. That’s the emissions equivalent of nine homes.