IEC TR 63226-2021 pdf free download – Managing fire risk related to photovoltaic (PV) systems on buildings.
4.3.4Use of building
4.3.4.1General
Building use can play a major role in the risk profile of a project.The financial risk of a fire isclosely related to the risk to human life and the risk to structures and building contents. A barn housing hay for livestock may be a low risk，particularly if the livestock is not housed in thestructure. A warehouse storing consumer electronics may have a higher financial risk in case of fire.Thus a building full of people, such as a theatre or a shopping mall, has a much greaterfinancial risk than either of the previous examples given the threat of loss of human life. These building types generally require more sensitive fire alarm and fire suppression equipment tohelp mitigate these risks.A PV system installation should take into account these varying levels
of risk due to building use, especially with respect to the operation times (daylight) of the Pvsystem, and employ the highest safety levels for buildings with the highest risks.
4.3.4.2Building type considerations regarding risks to humans
Where risks to humans are involved, fire prevention measures and measures supportingfirefighter safety are important (e.g. hospitals). Additionally，firefighters need quick access tothe fire location to extinguish and avoid the spread of fire in the early stages of a fire before it becomes a problem for the people inside the building regardiless “of whether the PV was thecause or not. Iln order to access the fire，firefighters may need to open parts of the roof,depending on the location of the fire.Where this area is covered by PV modules, there is already a time delay , caused by removing modules and mounting structure.
Firefighting tactics vary from country to country.Therefore, measures for supporting firefighteractivities should be chosen accordingly.
4.3.5Building type considerations regarding financial risks
Additional safety measures may be selected according to the financial risks involved with lossesat a particular building and place of business.This includes costs for any building contents and
inventory as well as costs forinterruption of the facility operations. For instance,amanufacturing process that is critical to the production of a particular product may require ahigh level of safety since the loss of facility production could interrupt the production of the final
product. Facilities that have redundant manufacturing options would be a lower risk to theproduction. AIso，the value of stored products will impact whether the facility has a higher orlower financial risk in the event of a fire.Safety measures should be seleclted based on the level
of risk.Often the insurance company will determine the classification of risk.
ln order to address financial risks, fire prevention measures are recommended as well asmeasures supporting firefighters. Damages and losses can be reduced when quick access to a
fire locationis enabled. This allows firefighters to extinguish the fire quickly and avoids thespread of fire in an early stage. In order to access the fire, firefighters often need to open parts
of the roof. Where this area is covered by PV modules, there is additional time delay,causedby removing modules and mounting structure.
4.4Measures for supporting firefighter and rescue service operations4.4.1General
Buildings are often constructed with a variety of measures that are intended to assist emergencyresponders in rescue and fire operations. The level to which these measures are employed isoften correlated with the risk levels of the building, occupants and contents, and the response
time available from the fire service and other emergency personnel. For example,buildingslocated more than 15 to 20 minutes from the closest fire response may need much moresignificant internal fire suppression equipment to address the longer fire response time.IEC TR 63226 pdf download.