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This panel discussion will outline current approaches and changes to managing large-scale battery failures and fires. Because the industry continues to develop projectable data that grow and change, the discussion will draw from recent tests and real-life experiences with fire detection. In addition, lessons learned toward a better understanding of fire protection.
With over 30 years of principal engineer experience and managing special hazards asset protection fire companies for the industrial and power markets, I focus on leading-edge design and development of safety, detection, and suppression systems. In addition to federal, state, and local laws-regulation and regulatory agency negation experience, I consult with Energy Storage Systems and Utility companies with appropriate mitigation technologies, risk hazard evaluation and application, AHJ education, and design specifications to help define best practices for the industry. Engagements include NFPA 855/850 Principal Member, Professional Member SFPE, FSSA Board of Directors, EEI Board of Directors, ESA Board of Directors, Member of EPRI Safety Council, SME FDNY, and UL 9540A STP.
Jennifer Alfsen is a Product Marketing Manager at Fluence with 12 years of experience working in highly cross-functional roles in the solar and energy storage industry. She is a Mechanical Engineer with an engineering degree from the University of California San Diego and began her engineering career in defense contracting, working in highly regulated cleanroom manufacturing, before moving into renewable energy. She has worked in a variety of engineering roles including R&D, designing, testing, and certifying new products to UL standards. Jennifer brings together a unique skillset blending her engineering background with technical marketing to help communicate complex subject matter to a diverse audience.
Nick Warner is an engineer and former volunteer fire fighter who has been testing batteries since 2010. With experience performance and safety testing in stationary ESS, electric vehicles, and other battery applications , Nick has made a career of advancing energy storage in a safe and reliable manner. Since 2015, Nick has been involved in product development, controls validation, explosion and plume modeling, hazard mitigation analysis, permitting, emergency response planning, field response to failures and has performed hundreds of medium and large scale battery fire tests. Nick also sits as a committee member on NFPA 855 as well as several UL Technical Committees including UL1973, UL9540 and UL9540A.
The Managing Partner of Davidson Code Concepts, LLC, Mr. Davidson, has more than thirty-three years of experience in both the volunteer and career fire service and law enforcement, emergency management and EMS experience. With over 25 years as a code enforcer, he retired as Fire Marshal in charge of the Fire Safety Division of the South Brunswick Township Code Enforcement Department, with responsibilities including enforcement of the NJ Uniform Fire Code and managing the Office of Emergency Management. He has experience teaching a variety of subjects involving health, safety, and code enforcement for the International Association of Fire Fighters; the International Code Council; Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; The NJ University of Medicine and Dentistry; Middlesex County College, Middlesex County NJ Fire Academy, University of North Carolina School of Architecture, Charlotte Campus, and the University of Texas-Arlington Campus. He has been a speaker at numerous NFPA World Safety Conferences and state and regional code official conferences. He gained national recognition as the Chair of the International Code Council’s International Fire Code Development Committee. In September of 2006, he was the recipient of the International Code Council’s annual ‘ICC Fire Service Award’ which is presented in recognition of his untiring support of and dedication to professional code enforcement and the fire protection profession, and 2011 he was awarded an ICC Honorary Membership which is granted to an individual who has been recognized as having rendered outstanding service to the International Code Council. He has been an active participant in the development of the energy storage requirements found in the International Fire Code, NFPA 1 Fire Code, and NFPA 855. He has a wide battery related client base including AHJs, cell/module/ESS/EV manufacturing, ESS installation and battery recycling.