Toronto Fire Lithium-ion Battery Operations PDF

STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE FIREFIGHTING OPERATIONS INVOLVING LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES Date Issued: May 9, 2023 Rescinds: N/A Section: Incident and Emergency Operations File Code: G-LION PURPOSE To provide all Toronto Fire Service (TFS) personnel with a guideline for firefighting operations in both r...

STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE FIREFIGHTING OPERATIONS INVOLVING LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES Date Issued: May 9, 2023 Rescinds: N/A Section: Incident and Emergency Operations File Code: G-LION PURPOSE To provide all Toronto Fire Service (TFS) personnel with a guideline for firefighting operations in both residential and commercial, single, and multiple occupancy buildings, where lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are involved or present. Incident conditions may vary, which will dictate your actions, in accordance with TFS guidelines, policies and procedures. RESPONSIBILITY All TFS personnel are responsible for safety during incident operations. All TFS personnel are responsible for understanding and following TFS SOGs during incident operations. Company Officers are responsible for ensuring all personnel follow established guidelines for responses to lithium-ion battery and ESS emergencies. GUIDELINES 1. Definitions Energy Storage Systems (ESS) (a) A battery or group of batteries assembled, capable of storing energy to supply electrical energy later. (b) These devices may be proprietary, after-market or DIY. (c) There are 4 types of Energy Storage Systems: i. Walk in container system, (outdoor) ii. Outdoor cabinet, not walk-in iii. Indoor facility: residential, commercial, public utility iv. Large and small vehicle batteries Electric Vehicle (EV) An automobile, e-scooter, e-bike, or other vehicle having an electric motor that is fully or partially powered by batteries. Thermal Runaway The primary risk related to LIBs is a phenomenon in which the lithium-ion cell File Code: G-LION Page 1 of 5  STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE enters an uncontrollable, self-heating state. Thermal runaway may result in: (a) dispersion of gases (b) ejection of shrapnel and or particulates (violent cell venting) (c) fire 2. Background While LIBs are not new, their increased use has added another level of concerns for firefighter safety and incident mitigation. New products, proprietary designs and usage will continue to challenge fire services around the world. LIBs are becoming more prevalent in consumer products ranging in size from those used in cell phones and mobility devices up to and including large-scale power grid support. These smaller devices are being used in everyday applications by the public and are consequently being stored, charged, sold, or repaired inside residential and commercial occupancies. Fires involving LIBs have been increasing at an alarming rate and have resulted in fatalities. Even when the initial cause of a fire was not the lithium-ion device, the involvement of LIBs in a fire can increase the intensity of the fire. 3. Hazards LIBs may rupture and disperse toxic flammable gases and/or explode violently when the gases ignite due to the following: (a) Thermal Conditions: Hot or cold or changes to temperatures (b) Physical: Impacted, crushed, or pierced (c) Electrical: Over-charging or forced discharge, including internal manufacturing defects or internal short circuiting (d) Drying after being wet. If LIB is submerged for a long period of time, discard the battery. Discard LIB immediately if water was saltwater. Saltwater conducts electricity much more than fresh water and it will cause the battery to discharge. NOTE: Flammable and Toxic Gases: LIBs in thermal runaway produce many different gases. These gases may combine to form a flammable, explosive and toxic atmosphere. Toxicity and flammability levels vary depending on specific battery technology and manufacturer. Significant explosions can be produced by small batteries. Pressurized gases may appear as white smoke venting and may be noticed prior to ignition. File Code: G-LION Page 2 of 5  STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE NOTE: Re-Ignition: LIBs may unexpectedly re-ignite with no warning, minutes, hours or even days after all visible fire has been extinguished. Water (a) Water will not prevent a battery from entering thermal runaway. NOTE: Under no circumstances, TFS staff are to compromise the container to help water get into the case. 4. General Guidelines and Safety Considerations All TFS personnel working in a Controlled Area must wear full PPE, SCBA donned with face-piece worn for the duration of the event up to and including the completion of overhaul. No LIB assemblies or ESS containers will be opened or overhauled for the safety of firefighters. Upon confirmation of a LIB event, Heavy Haz and Haz Support will be requested if not already dispatched. NOTE: Canutec (*666) is the primary resource for information and should be used as a reference to confirm all on-site information. A thorough search for ejected cells (ejected cells refers to LIB cells that have been launched as projectiles as a result of an explosion) must be completed and announced as a benchmark to the Incident Commander. Any unaffected LIBs in the vicinity should be removed, using non-conductive tools, to prevent their involvement. No TFS member will hold the battery or cell in their hands. The Hazardous Material Unit, along with the IC will develop a plan for isolating the LIBs in their present location and/or on how to proceed with their removal. Always consider LIBs energized even after they have been shut down or discharged. Damaged, discharged LIBs may still contain a charge referred to as stranded energy. File Code: G-LION Page 3 of 5  STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE Incident Commanders, Company Officers and all crews must consider the use of non-conductive equipment at these incidents where deemed a necessary safety precaution. EVs that are connected to a charging system may feed power back into the home after power is lost or power has been shut off to the home either at the hydro panel or by meter removal by Toronto Hydro. LIBs that are in thermal runaway or off gassing will create hazardous atmospheres. Firefighters must stay out of the vapour cloud. Larger evacuation areas in high rise buildings may be required due to the production of higher levels of both toxic and flammable gases. E-bikes and mobility devices situated in the entry way to apartments may block escape for residents in a fire situation. Primary searches shall be conducted when access is made available. TICs may not give accurate readings depending on the remaining protection surrounding the battery. Incident Commanders will use a TFS supplied cell phone to take pictures of the batteries involved and send to the Division Chief (DVC) Fire Investigations. Incident Commander will make the determination that a fire watch is implemented. Post incident decontamination will be undertaken by crews that have been exposed to smoke, vapours, or other contaminants during the incident, as per TFS TN 104.2. 5. Incident Actions for Fires Water is the primary extinguishing agent to be used. Water should be used as a cooling agent for exposed LIBs. 360s should include a roof visual for photovoltaic solar panels indicating possible ESS units. Residents may also be questioned on contents for ESS units or EVs in the garage. All conversations must be recorded in the Officer’s Memo book. Small fires may require copious amounts of water to extinguish the flame and continual soaking to aid in cooling of attached cells. Due to construction, such cooling may not be successful due to construction of the LIB module enclosure. Crews should be prepared for reignition or explosions and maintain a safe exclusion zone. File Code: G-LION Page 4 of 5  STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINE Large fires may be problematic in extinguishment. In such cases, a Defensive Operation may be required with protection for exposures and personnel. Incident Commander shall consider a Defensive Operation in storage facilities and warehouses containing new, used, or damaged LIB’s. Unstaffed hose lines, master stream devices and ventilation along with the protection of exposures should be a priority after Rescue and Life Safety. Application of water may be required long after flames have been extinguished. 6. Electric Vehicle Fires Electric vehicle (EV) fires present other concerns for the Incident Commander when developing their IAP. EV fires in unvented, single-family garages may provide the perfect conditions for backdraft or explosions due to the build-up of gases inside. The area in front of garage doors should be avoided until ventilation or extinguishment operations have taken place. Garage doors may blow out with enough force to cause injuries to both firefighters and civilians. The Incident Commander should develop an IAP with this in mind using smaller entry doors as their primary avenue of attack. Do not introduce ignition sources. Note: Entry tools may create a spark that could ignite flammable gases. EVs may burn hotter and produce more smoke and gases than fuel burning vehicles. For operations in underground garages, Incident Commanders should consider the use of multiple hose lines (minimum of two 65mm hose lines flowing 950 l/min each up to and including master fire streams). EVs connected to charging stations should have the power shut down/disconnected as soon as possible. ATTACHMENT(S) N/A RELATED SOGS G-FFOU - Fire Fighting Operations in Underground Facilities G-FFOV - Firefighting Operations for Vehicle Fires File Code: G-LION Page 5 of 5