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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-09-13, Page 11THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2012. PAGE 11. The presence of solar panels and the danger they can cause for firefighters during a structure fire was once again discussed by North Huron council. “It’s a complicated issue that we need to deal with soon,” Councillor Brock Vodden said. “There is a concern as to whether firefighters will know if there is a solar panel involved in a structure fire. It can be difficult to tell because some panels are designed to look like shingles.” Vodden said that while some ratepayers have made claims that low voltage panels aren’t as dangerous as other, he said that firefighters on the scene won’t know whether they’re high or low voltage. “There are so many issues that not just strictly centred around the technology of the panel,” Vodden said. “It links to the building code and many other safety features that could put our firefighters in jeopardy. “Chief [John] Black, last year, explained that he directed his firefighters not to enter any building with solar panels on the roof because of these safety issues,” he said. Vodden said the need had been highlighted by a recent fire just south of Blyth during which firefighters from the Fire Department of North Huron’s Blyth hall found black smoke completely obscuring the building that was on fire which is believed to have been caused by solar panels burning at the site. The answer, according to Vodden is to get the information regarding solar panels to the firefighters viathe dispatcher.He suggested that council start aninitiative to collect information on solar panels that should be made available to dispatchers and firefighters to help them know what they’re dealing with. “This is an area where we have to put energy in to get everyone on the same side” Vodden said. “We need to create an environment that is safe instead of trying to figure out what people need.” Councillor Archie MacGowan said that, if council was following this path, it would be a good idea to involve other municipal agencies. “I think it would be prudent to have the chief building officials (CBO) for local municipalities involved,” he said. “I know that Dave [Black] sits on a group of CBOs and, with the Huron County Fire Chief’s Association, they could make a plan on how to deal with this. “This would keep them somewhat on the same page,” He said. “I believe the prudent thing to do would be to have Dave look into that.” Councillor James Campbell said that there may be a problem with tracking down all the solar panels since they could easily catch all the building permits going forward, but going backwards would be an issue. “The back issues could slip through,” he said. “They will need to go back through all the previous building permits issued to find them.” Reeve Neil Vincent highlighted another problem: some solar installations, especially stand-alone units, don’t require building permits.“The reality is that a lot of panelsdon’t require municipal approval,”he said. “The standard requires anything with a footprint of over 100 square feet to have a building permit and not all of them are covered by them. They won’t have a buildingpermit.”The discussion was inspired by areport regarding building and property standards focused on solar panels that was completed by CBO Black. “It was the fire that CouncillorVodden mentioned that promptedKathy [Adams, deputy-clerk] and Ito ask for this report for councillor information,” Chief Administrative Officer Gary Long stated. “The A new look Five-year-old Chelsea Courtney was one of many children who got her face painted by Buttons the Clown over the weekend at the annual reunion of the Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association. The weekend was a big one for children as the grounds were flooded with young people on Friday (student activity day) and then again on Saturday and Sunday with various competitions and events to keep those of all ages entertained. (Jim Brown photo) Solar panels dominate debate in North Huron Now is the time! Preharvest FOR WHITE BEANS, SOYBEANS, ALSO WHEAT STUBBLE John Deere 4830 - 100 ft. boomWalton Elevators Walton 519-887-9261 1-800-786-1476 Ask about our early order pay programs on seed corn. Good supply of Wheat Seed available • Soft White • Soft Red • Hard Red Everything you need for Preharvest Parrish & Heimbecker Limited WE ARE READY FOR HARVEST RECEIVING • White Beans • Soybeans • Corn Parrish & Heimbecker Limited By Denny ScottThe Citizen Continued on page 35