Fronius USA Gives Insight on Photovoltaic Fire Training to Local Fire Officials of the City of Portage, Indiana

On April 16-18, 2024, Fronius USA was honored to have opened the doors of its US  Headquarters’ solar panel roof and solar inverter lab to local fire department officials of  the City of Portage’s Fire Department for fire safety training on solar power  equipment. The Solar Solutions Management team at Fronius USA provided technical  training on PV systems, which consisted of rapid shutdown procedures and safety  features for solar systems, as well as energy storage and electronic vehicle chargers. 

"We are very committed to the community  

and are pleased to have hosted the honorable  

Portage firefighters at our 400,000-square 

foot facility to provide fire safety instruction  

with the Fronius string inverters and our  

commercial rooftop and solar tracker  

systems.” said Klaus Strassmair, Managing  

Director at Fronius USA. “We also welcome  

them to return for future trainings with our  

dedicated in-house Solar staff,” added  

Strassmair. 

“Fronius is dedicated to incorporating fire and safety features in Fronius inverters by  leading in arc fault detection and rapid shutdown solutions that keep the number of  potential failure points low,” says Richard Baldinger, Director of Sales & Marketing Business Unit Solar Energy at Fronius USA.  

“Fronius was the first place that we considered to contact for solar training needs  especially since Fronius has been manufacturing inverters for over 20 years, with  Fronius being a pioneer in the solar industry,” said Tim Fercik, Lieutenant of the  Portage Fire Department. “Their in-house solutions group provided PV knowledge and  insight that we were looking to gain on how to handle fire department situations where  firefighters would interact with a solar powered system,” added Fercik. 

"We were extremely happy to welcome and train the Portage Fire Department on a  nationally recognized standard UL 3741, Photovoltaic Hazard Control, which provides a  reduced level of shock hazard from energized PV Systems," said Chris Connell, Head of  Solutions Management at Fronius USA.

“With the ever-growing interest in solar  

panel installation, not only applying to the  

residents and the businesses in Portage, IN,  

but also within the United States of America,  

training on how to put out fires when solar  

systems are installed can be cumbersome to  

find,” said Austin Bonta, Mayor of the City of  

Portage. “We are truly thankful for the  

presentation and the hands-on training that  

was provided by the knowledgeable  

solutions team at Fronius USA,” added  

Bonta. 

With solar inverters as the heart of the photovoltaic system, that convert direct current  (DC) electricity from solar panels to alternating current (AC) electricity to power homes  and businesses, there’s a high importance to educate firefighters on how rapid  shutdown can be properly used to cut off the  

energy produced at the solar module so that  

they can safely perform their duties on or  

around solar energy equipment. Fronius Arc  

Guard technology is also a safety element  

that is triggered to automatically detect arcs  

in the DC circuit with algorithm technology,  

as the system will accurately interrupt the  

fault and stop the arc to provide photovoltaic  

system protection. 

For detailed information on certified rapid  

shutdown solutions and the Fronius Arc  

Guard on Fronius’ high quality solar  

inverters, visit Fronius.us.

We are Fronius. 

Founded in 1945 as a regional one-man operation, we are now a global player - a fact  that is impressively demonstrated by our 37 international subsidiaries and our network  of sales partners in more than 60 countries, over 7,000 employees worldwide, and 1,446  active patents: that’s us, that’s Fronius. And yet, at our core, we are still a family-owned  company from Austria, active in photovoltaics, welding, and battery charging technology.  We have always developed products and solutions for a future worth living, offering our  customers an all-in-one package in the process: from advance planning and consulting  to ongoing monitoring and a repair service tailored to their specific needs. We are  innovative. We are curious. We are Fronius