As the installation of solar panels continues to increase across the country, so does the need to ensure that firefighters are safe when they encounter these types of units at a structural fire.

New Jersey, in particular, has experienced a tremendous growth in solar panel installation in recent years. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, the Garden State recently surpassed California as the state with the most solar panel units. New Jersey’s solar panel installations now account for 24 percent of all those across the United States – a statistic increasing the likelihood that emergency service workers will sooner or later find themselves at an incident involving panels.

The “widespread popularity” of solar panels has emerged as “one of the new challenges facing firefighters,” the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) believes, something that requires “special tactical and strategic considerations.” And, it prompted the association to begin looking into changes to the electrical code to protect first responders, modifications that it hopes will result in a standard way to shut down energy leaving the system.