In the past decade, the large-scale adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and the rapid rollout of battery energy storage systems (BESS) worldwide have introduced new and complex challenges for the fire service when emergencies involving these technologies occur.
Explosion hazards; deep-seated, difficult-to-suppress fires, extreme temperatures and high heat loads, high-voltage electrical exposure and the presence of stranded energy following an incident have collectively made lithium-ion battery events in large-scale applications uniquely difficult to manage.
Following a conventional structure fire, fire service operations typically transition into post-incident overhaul, with crews confirming extinguishment and beginning to secure the site for subsequent remediation and investigation.
Nick Warner
Lithium-ion battery systems fundamentally disrupt this process.
While the fire service is equipped to handle an active BESS event, long persisting hazards render traditional overhaul impractical and in many cases, unsafe, particularly for firefighters who lack specialized equipment and training to manage damaged battery systems after an incident.
Since the publication of the 2018 International Fire Code, regulatory requirements governing the built environment have evolved rapidly to address many of the risks associated with battery-related emergencies.
Though some product standards predate this period, the pace of development has accelerated markedly.
The 2019 BESS explosion in Surprise, Arizona, which severely injured four firefighters, underscored the consequences of inadequate safeguards as these technologies were approaching widespread deployment.
By 2026, NFPA 855 has emerged as the de facto model fire code for the installation of stationary energy storage systems and the storage and handling of batteries in other occupancies.
Nick Warner
NFPA 800, currently under development, is expected to address additional gaps not addressed by NFPA 855.
In parallel, research conducted by the NFPA Fire Protection Research Foundation and UL’s Fire Safety Research Institute continues to inform best practices for managing EV and BESS incidents.
While the requirements of contemporary codes for large-scale fire testing, deflagration protection and other passive safety measures seek to reduce the severity of incidents- and ongoing research seeks to improve firefighter response tactics, there is still little in the regulatory framework regarding post-incident management of damaged battery systems.
This remains an underdeveloped aspect of the regulatory code and a gap that is particularly consequential given that residual hazards often persist long after visible fire involvement has ceased.
Recognizing this challenge, NFPA 855 has, since 2023, included requirements in Chapter 9 for Hazard Support Personnel to be available to relieve the fire service following a BESS incident.
Similarly, SAE J2990 calls for post-incident hazard analysis of EV batteries and provides guidance for their evaluation and handling.
Despite their significance, these provisions remain insufficiently understood or applied in many jurisdictions.
Together, these standards provide the fire service with a clear mechanism to require responsible parties; including owners, operators and insurers, to engage qualified technical experts.
Such support may be arranged contractually in advance for stationary systems or accessed remotely or on site for both EV and BESS incidents.
The rationale is straightforward: the hazards presented by damaged lithium-ion batteries routinely exceed the fire service’s available expertise, equipment and time resources, even during basic overhaul operations.
Firefighter personal protective equipment illustrates this limitation.
Turnout gear evaluated under NFPA 1971 is not designed to withstand the arc-flash hazards addressed by NFPA 2112 (for electrical PPE), leaving responders vulnerable to electrical exposures well beyond the intended scope of structural firefighting PPE.
Hazard support personnel are expected to manage re-ignition and stranded-energy risks, maintain fire watch with the capability to conduct battery firefighting operations if necessary, support communications with the fire department and other stakeholders, assist with remediation and forensic activities and maintain site control and overall safety.
These responsibilities reflect the reality that post-incident battery management is a specialized technical function rather than an extension of traditional fire suppression.
Additional regulatory requirements affecting EV and BESS incidents have emerged over the past several years that fall outside normal fire service operations.
These requirements apply to any personnel working near damaged batteries, including those involved in handling, packaging or transporting them.
The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires workers at battery and electrical sites to meet qualified-worker standards.
Nick Warner
While these requirements are well established for utility applications, industry organizations such as the American Clean Power Association have issued guidance addressing BESS-specific risks.
In parallel, the US Environmental Protection Agency requires the development of site-specific Health and Safety Plans and HAZWOPER training for personnel working at large-scale BESS fire scenes.
Transportation of damaged, defective or recalled (DDR) lithium-ion batteries further requires training and certification under 49 CFR, with special permits frequently necessary due to the size and mass of EV and BESS battery assemblies.
For industry stakeholders, these layered requirements carry clear implications.
Effective post-incident battery management is no longer optional, ad hoc or purely operational; it is a multidisciplinary responsibility that intersects fire safety, worker protection, environmental compliance and logistics.
Organizations that plan for these obligations in advance- by integrating qualified hazard support into their emergency response and recovery strategies-reduce risk to responders, limit secondary incidents and accelerate site stabilization and return to service.
Few organizations are positioned to deliver this full spectrum of post-incident support under a single operational framework.
ESRG is one of them.
As a company comprised primarily of firefighters with specialized technical expertise, ESRG is committed to supporting the fire service and industry partners alike in navigating the evolving regulatory landscape and managing lithium-ion battery incidents safely, compliantly and effectively.
