Considerations for Fire Service Response to Residential Energy Storage System Incidents Released by IAFF and UL Solutions
The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) in partnership with UL Solutions (ULS) and the Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI), part of UL Research Institutes, released the technical report Considerations for Fire Service Response to Residential Battery Energy Storage System Incidents. The report is a culmination of a two-year research project examining the characteristics of fires resulting from the overheating of lithium-ion battery energy storage systems (ESS) within residential structures. It offers new data on how these fires ignite, propagate, and can lead to explosion hazards that pose safety issues to first responders and occupants. It was the first study to evaluate these hazards and develop tactical considerations for the fire service.
“When lithium-ion batteries fail, firefighters must respond and successfully control the situation to protect public safety.”
—Sean DeCrane, director of health and safety operational services, IAFF
The research project, led by IAFF and ULS, was funded through a Department of Energy grant. It consisted of 4 large-scale tests using a mockup of a residential lithium-ion battery ESS installed in a two-car garage. The ESS was designed with three units containing an equivalent energy capacity of 17 kWh per unit. To expand on this research, FSRI completed outdoor experiments in October 2022 to collect consequence data that relates the flammable gas release volume of typical lithium nickel-cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries to explosion severity and hazards. This expanded research contributed to the development of tactical considerations outlined in this report.
“Lithium-ion batteries are changing when and how fires start, and this important research demonstrates that li-ion batteries at residential energy storage system and electric vehicles scales can accelerate fire growth and introduce new explosion risks”
—Adam Barowy, lead research engineer, FSRI
Report Title: Considerations for Fire Service Response to Residential Battery Energy Storage System Incidents
Report Authors: Alex Schraiber, P.E., Adam Barowy, Ben Gaudet, P.E., Veronica Kimmerly, Ph.D. Download the Report
Release Date: December 4, 2023
