March 13, 2014
Ontario

New wind rules in Brockton; Council adopts new fire safety rules for wind developers

by Robyn Garvey | Bayshore Broadcasting Corporation | March 13, 2014 | www.bayshorebroadcasting.ca

Brockton wants to ensure any future wind turbines in the municipality will not pose a fire hazard.

Council has approved the Fire Chief’s recommendation – and there are new rules to make wind turbines less of a fire hazard.

All wind turbines in Brockton must now have a fire detection and suppression system.

Another new requirement is a 24 hour monitoring service that will transmit a signal to the fire department.

Councillor Anne-Louise Gibbons says the rules just make sense.

Given the nature of the turbines, mounted over a 100 feet in the air, Gibbons says little can be done from a traditional fire fighting perspective to suppress it.

She cites last April’s wind turbine fire at a Goderich area wind farm as an example.

Gibbons adds while vacationing in Hawaii a few years ago – a wind turbine fire took out a whole farm concession.

Gibbons says a wind turbine fire could spread like wild fire across hay fields in harvest season – and that would devastate local farm lands.

Currently there are no wind farms in Brockton – however interest has been voiced by wind turbine companies and Brockton wants to ensure it is ready.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/03/13/new-wind-rules-in-brockton-council-adopts-new-fire-safety-rules-for-wind-developers/