FIRE PROTECTION EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN Lithium Ion BESS

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• Hazard confinement
• Fire suppression • Ventilation
The following hazards may be encountered when fighting fires in lithium-ion battery energy storage systems:
• Electrical enclosures and batteries may not allow water intrusion from the high-pressure stream of a fire hose.
• Shock hazard due to direct contact with energized components.
• Toxic gases
• Thermal runaway
• Explosion hazard
3.1.1 Thermal Runaway
Fires in electrochemical ESS are often a result of a process called thermal runaway resulting in dynamic temperature increase. Initial signs of thermal runaway might include pressure increase at the cell level, temperature increase, and off-gassing. As the process continues, additional signs might include vent gas ignition, exploding cells, projectile release, heat propagation, and flame propagation. As the failure cascades, responders should also be prepared for toxic and potentially explosive gas release. Responders should treat them as highly dangerous and use their full suite of PPE and breathing apparatus when responding.
Rescue personnel should keep their distance unless actively rescuing a person if batteries are in thermal runaway condition.
Refer to the information in the Tesla Safety Manual, Section 7 for information provided by the ESS enclosure manufacturer for additional information on Emergency Response, provided in Appendix 8.
The ESS enclosures are under the control of a site Emergency Management System (EMS) or Local Plant Controller (LPC), which in turn communicate with an offsite fleet controller, SCADA operations center, or other third-party dispatch and monitoring entity. The ESS enclosure alarms will be forwarded to the remote operations and remote operations, or staff personnel on the site, can shut down the ESS enclosure(s) remotely if determined necessary. Note that a system shutdown will not de-energize the battery bank or guarantee that a fault or thermal runaway event has been stopped. Responders and staff should not approach the ESS enclosure or attempt to open the ESS enclosure until deemed safe to do so by the O&M Manager, Emergency Response Coordinator, and Subject Matter Expert.
On-site personnel witnessing an emergency should not assume that automated alarms have reached the Local Plant Controller or Emergency Management System or that such alarms have been passed on to remote operations. Such personnel are advised to call 911 and contact remote operations directly, in addition to other key stakeholders described herein.
3.1.2 Response to Fire Event
In the event of an incipient stage (beginning, small) fire, employees should notify adjacent individuals of this situation and exit the area. Contractors, maintenance staff, or visitors should immediately exit the area upon notification of an emergency condition and proceed to the