HomeMy WebLinkAbout06 - Emergency Response Plan FD NORTHEmergency Response and Fire Safety Plan
November 2024
Emergency Response and Safety
Plan
South Main Street Project #1
SBL: 26.-1-25.22
5MW Solar Facility
Prepared for:
Town of Groton
Tompkins County, New York
Prepared by:
NY Groton I (South Main Street), LLC
P.O. Box 384
Callicoon NY, 12783
Emergency Response and Fire Safety Plan
Contents
SECTION 1. PURPOSE ..................................................................................................... 3
SECTION 2. GENERAL FACILITY INFORMATION .................................................... 3
SECTION 3. GENERAL SAFETY AND OPERATIONAL INFORMATION ................. 4
SECTION 4. EMERGENCY SITUATIONS ...................................................................... 6
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Emergency Response and Fire Safety Plan
SECTION 1. PURPOSE
The South Main Street #1 Solar Project (“Project”) Emergency Response and Fire Safety Plan
(ERFSP) describes actions to ensure the safety of Project employees, emergency service members
serving the Project, and the surrounding community in the event of an emergency. This ERFSP
provides emergency personnel contact information and outlines procedures to prevent, mitigate,
and effectively respond to an incident should one arise at the Project.
SECTION 2. GENERAL FACILITY INFORMATION
NY Groton (South Main Street) I, LLC (“Project Owner”), an affiliate of Delaware River Solar,
LLC, proposes to build a photovoltaic (PV) solar facility (“Solar Facility”) at South Main Street
in the Town of Groton (“Town”) under New York State’s Community Solar initiative. The Solar
Facility is planned to have a nameplate capacity of approximately 5 megawatts (MW) alternating
current (AC) total, to be constructed on private land (“Project Site”) leased by the Project Owner
from the property owner (“Property Owner”).
This Emergency Response and Fire Safety Plan (“Plan”) is being submitted to the Town as part
of the application with respect to the special use permit and site plan review by the Town.
The primary Project access road into the property to access the solar farm is located at TBD South
Main Street. The Point of Interconnection is located down the access road towards the solar project.
There is an entrance driveway for access and for emergency or maintenance needs at this location.
Following initial entrance into the Project area via the access road, each area of the Project is
enclosed by deer fencing with locking gates to ensure public safety. Upon consultation with local
first responders and fire department officials, gates will be outfitted with either a “Knox Box” or
daisy-chain type locking system to allow site access by emergency personnel. All gravel access
roads have been designed to facilitate access throughout the Project. Gravel roads are 20 feet wide
with three turnaround locations to accommodate large truck movement (e.g. pumper or ladder type
fire trucks). The approximate 10-foot spacing between each row of panels can also provide access,
if needed. In addition, the site includes approximately 20-foot wide clear path between the fence
and panels to allow for additional vehicle access (e.g. pickup truck, ATV, etc.) throughout the site.
Project components, including solar panels, fencing, inverters, access roads, the Substation, and
gates, are depicted on Figure 1.
Fire Detection
The O&M Contractor will execute a contract with the Project Owner prior to the project being
placed in service. In the event of a fire, the monitoring agency will detect equipment faults which
will then lead to an investigation or dispatch of personnel. There is no fire suppression system for
the inverters located on-site.
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Operational Contacts
The following people are responsible for the operation, maintenance and safety of the Project.
The Operator conducts local monitoring of the site on a regular basis.
South Main Street – Project Operator
Local Agent/Emergency Contact – x (xxx) xxx -xxxx
Project Owner – Bull Rock Renewables (802) 985-1460
The Local Agent is the primary contact for notification in the event of an emergency.
Emergency Contacts
Additional contacts that may require coordination regarding this plan and operation of the Project
include the following departments and agencies:
Fire
Eric Deforrest Chief (607) 898-
3135
Groton Fire Department
108 E Cortland St, Groton, NY
Ambulance
Groton Fire Department and
Ambulance
(607) 898-
3135
108 E Cortland St, Groton,
NY
Police Department
Troy Boice Officer in Charge (607) 898-
3131
108 E Cortland St,
Groton, NY
Division of Fire Safety
Justin Vann Tompkins
County Fire
Coordinator
(607) 257-
3888
92 Brown Road, Ithaca,
NY 14850
In the event of an emergency dial 911
SECTION 3. GENERAL SAFETY AND OPERATIONAL INFORMATION
Solar panels, located throughout the Project, convert sunlight to electricity. The process
involves solid- state technology that consumes no materials and is completely self-contained.
As such, the primary concern for first responders is exposure to electrical components that
present a hazard to electric shock. During a response, it should be assumed that:
• All solar equipment on site contains lethal AC and DC voltages;
• The site should only be accessed by Project personnel or emergency responders
• The inverter has breakers that will trip in the event of an electrical issue.
• The transformers have fuses that will trip in the event of an electrical issue.
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• There is a manual “disconnect switch” that can be pulled to shut down the Solar Facility
(which the fire department will be provided the location).
• There is no “fire suppression” system (i.e. sprinklers or foam) within the Solar Facility
Precautions While in the Vicinity of the Solar Electric System
• Only trained personnel should work near the solar arrays, modules, electrical boxes, or wiring.
• It is recommended to always have at least two persons present when working on the array
or handling modules. Do not attempt to service or respond to an emergency unless another
person capable of rendering first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is also present.
• Any accidents should be immediately reported to the Operator, as soon as it is safe to do so.
• Photovoltaic panels are made of glass and may break. If any cracks occur in the modules,
touching a crack may expose a person to the full voltage and current of the array. Do not
touch the modules without wearing electrical insulating gloves.
Orientation
Appropriate training of first responders is key to their understanding of the hazards that are
present within the Project area and to mitigate potential risks to their life during a response.
The Operator will work with Fire and other Town Departments, as well as county and state
safety officials, as appropriate, to provide site-specific orientation to emergency response
leadership and their assigned staff.
3.C Maintenance
• The Project Owner will submit an Operation and Maintenance Plan to the Planning Board that will
outline the Operation and Maintenance of the Solar Facility and Project Site.
• The Project Owner will enter an Operations and Maintenance Contract for the life of the Solar Facility
covering both scheduled maintenance and corrective maintenance to ensure the proper operation of the
Solar Facility. Scheduled maintenance will generally include the following:
Compliance with the Local, State and Federal Rules, Codes, Regulations and Laws regarding the
health and safety of any operation and maintenance works
Semi-Annual interim maintenance visit.
Annual full maintenance visit.
System testing and verification of data acquisition systems, at least once per calendar year.
Module cleaning once a year, or as determined by Project Owner.
Solar Facility field inspection: visual, electrical and mechanical once per month, or as determined
by Project Owner.
Inverter cleaning and servicing to ensure proper operation. Scheduled maintenance and testing
as required to maintain manufacturer’s warranties.
Scheduled maintenance and testing required to maintain all manufacturers’ warranties on Solar
Facility components.
Maintain and operate all the infrastructures, equipment and facilities related to the Solar Facility
required for the proper operation.
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SECTION 4. EMERGENCY SITUATIONS
Emergency situation critical points:
• In the event of an emergency, dial 911.
• Solar and substation components are always hot and should always be considered
electrically energized. DC voltage is always present (even at night).
• All inverters contain energy storage devices that require 15 minutes to safely discharge
lethal voltages.
• Do not touch the modules without wearing electrical insulating gloves.
Fire Response
In the event of a fire, the individual discovering the emergency shall:
1. Assess the situation to determine potential safety concerns to life and the
environment, with life safety as the priority.
2. Notify the appropriate local authorities by dialing 911 and direct them to the
entry point identified on Figures 1 and 2.
3. Local authorities should contact the Project Operator.
Upon arrival to the Project, responders shall:
1. Evacuate and secure the area and keep people a minimum of 300 feet away,
provided there are no immediate threats to people or non-solar property.
2. Let the facility burn. Burning electrical equipment is already damaged and must be replaced.
3. Protect adjacent exposures, such as homes and forested areas, as needed, to
limit the potential of the fire spreading.
4. If fire must be suppressed within the array fence line, the Operator will direct
local authorities on how to proceed.
The following are the most important considerations when responding to a fire or other
emergency at the Project:
• Solar and substation components are always hot and should always be considered
electrically energized. DC voltage is always present, even at night.
• Identify and validate the hazard in order to minimize injury.
• Electrical components produce gas during combustion. All responders should use a self-
contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).
• Before committing apparatus to the access roads within any of the fenced panel array
enclosures, understand that turn arounds will often be well over 1,000 feet away.
• Isolate or shutdown the electrical power at the site of the fire, if possible.
• Do not assume the system is de-energized and do not attempt to de-energize any equipment.
• Do not open any inverter doors until at least 48 hours have passed since the initiation of
the event or conditions are verified safe and entry is approved by the Operator.
• Leave the scene in a safe condition after mitigating hazards.
Natural Disasters
Severe weather events such as snowstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes are possible at the
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Project. Although much less common, there is also the potential for minor earthquakes,
flooding or high wind events (e.g., microbursts). These events should have limited impact on
the Project site. The Project is designed and constructed to withstand the extreme weather
likely to occur at the Project site (e.g. high winds, hail, lightning, snowstorms, etc.). After an
extreme weather event, the Operator will evaluate all equipment for damages and repair, as
necessary, to restore full Project operations.
Public Safety
Access to the Project is limited to trained staff and maintenance personnel only.
Solar panel arrays and the Substation are surrounded by an eight-foot-tall deer fence. Access
to the Project site occurs through gates in the deer fence that are secured with a padlock, and
only Operator personnel have access to the Project (as previously noted, Knox Box or daisy
chain type locks may be installed at each gate).
In the event of personnel injury from electric shock or if personnel should become
incapacitated while within the Project site, the following procedures should be followed:
1. Assess the area for hazards and secure the area to protect additional life from injury.
2. Notify the appropriate local authorities by dialing 911 and direct them to the
Project access point identified on Figure 1.
3. Local authorities should contact the Operator, as found in Section 2.C, to
determine the appropriate response procedures and methods for shutting down the
nearest components to ensure safe access.
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Figure 1