One of the most significant fire safety challenges today — and a topic that NFPA trainer Tom de Nooij closely follows with personal interest — involves lithium-ion batteries. In practice, this challenge presents itself in several different forms.
First, there is the storage of lithium-ion batteries as a product, such as pallets containing large numbers of individual batteries. Second, there is the storage of products that contain lithium-ion batteries, including lawn mowers, drilling machines, and similar equipment. In addition, lithium-ion batteries are increasingly used in energy storage systems (ESS) that provide backup power for buildings.
Each of these applications introduces its own fire risk profile
Lithium-ion battery fires are particularly difficult to control and even harder to extinguish. This makes them one of the most challenging fire scenarios currently faced by the fire safety industry and a development that is being monitored very closely.
At this stage, FM Global data sheets provide some guidance. However, lithium-ion battery fire protection remains an evolving field. As of today, there is no single, clear, and universally applicable solution that effectively protects all different types of lithium-ion battery storage.
This is precisely why lithium-ion batteries remain one of the most complex and pressing fire safety challenges we are dealing with at this moment.
