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Estacada planning commissioners hear fire marshal’s concerns about solar-farm fire response and disconnects
Summary
Estacada Rural Fire District fire marshal told the Planning Commission on Sept. 18 that large solar farms can remain electrically live during fires because sites often lack local shutdowns; commissioners asked staff to research possible local code language and to coordinate with state rulemaking.
Estacada Fire Marshal Sarah Poet told the Planning Commission on Sept. 18 that firefighters face a safety hazard when responding to fires at large solar farms because the arrays can continue to produce electricity and “there's no way to shut them down.”
The commission heard from Poet, who identified herself as the fire marshal with the Estacada Rural Fire District, after packet materials from the state fire marshal’s office and related technical guidance were included for the commission’s review. Poet said last year she served as incident commander on a fire at a solar farm near Day Hill Road and that an inverter failure caused molten aluminum to drip onto vegetation between panel rows.
Why it matters: Commissioners and staff said Estacada sits…
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