By Diane Silcock
LITHIUM-ION battery fires are complex. Worldwide, the fire industry is grappling with determining optimal solutions for the extinguishing of these fires, which are self-sustaining due to the high potential for thermal runaway. They emit life-threatening gases, the presence of which is not noticeable before and during a fire, and can therefore be unknowingly inhaled—to one’s detriment.
FPASA’s role in mitigating lithium-ion battery fire hazards
The Fire Protection Association of South Africa (FPASA) is an industry body focused on fire risk management, fire prevention, fire safety and, importantly, training. FPASA CEO Marius Atterbury says that education is key. In South Africa, a do-it-yourself culture exists, and he strongly warns against DIY solar and inverter installations, as he has seen too many instances where poor installations have resulted in fires destroying property and assets, like garages and vehicles.
He says, “People need to understand that, even though solar systems are a good solution to energy challenges, there are some inherent risks in the way that the batteries burn. Don’t put them inside your house, because they give off horribly poisonous gases, and they burn very fiercely. So, any installation indoors, you need to think twice about.”
Atterbury recommends battery systems be located outdoors in a well-ventilated area undertaken by a certified installer. “This is the advice that we can very informally tell people while all the formal rules are being put together, and the machinery of standards and governance will take its course, and eventually we’ll have a set of very good legislation, regulation, and strict standards in South Africa.
“We’re not trying to come up with a set of rules that scare people,” says Atterbury, “but we also don’t want people to be totally lax about it and say, it will never happen to me, as we just don’t know when it could happen to us.”
Rapid uptake of lithium-ion batteries raises fire hazards
Education and legislation around the location and installation of solar systems and inverters and associated fire hazards, have not kept pace with the rapid growth of the lithium-ion battery market.
The worldwide boom in alternative energy in the drive towards sustainability, has created a major upsurge in the use of lithium-ion batteries. Globally this trend can be largely attributed to the popularity of electric vehicles, but in South Africa, load shedding has led to many businesses and households turning to solar systems and inverters. Of course there are many other uses for these batteries.
Emergency preparedness and fire safety plans are essential for fire-readiness
With the aforementioned in mind, FPASA would like to see more direct legislation to state that every workplace must have an Emergency Preparedness Plan and a Fire Safety Plan in place. This is also applicable to schools, universities and households.
One of the first principles of emergency preparedness is for a risk owner to determine what emergency could present itself; what can go wrong in the workplace and even at home.
“Do I have the right extinguisher to help put out an inverter that overheats and starts burning? Now I’m starting to put my plan of action together. And the principles are very much the same for any workplace, whether small or big. What can go wrong? Can I eliminate it? And if I can’t, what will I do if it does start going wrong?” says Atterbury.
FPASA plays an instrumental role in the fire industry in educating, training and consulting in fire protection and safety, as well as in collaborating with national, provisional and local government structures.
Look out for their webinar later this year that will deal with lithium-ion battery fire extinguishing.
