Recently, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) released the 2024 version of the”Emergency Response Guide”. The guide includes various hazardous materials, corresponding emergency methods and safety precautions, aiming to help and guide rescuers in their operations in targeted fire emergency rescue. Compared with the 2020 version, the new version of the guide has the following main changes in the lithium battery content:

l Added precautions regarding lithium battery and electric vehicle fires, including identifying damaged, defective or recalled lithium batteries. (DDR batteries).

Lithium Battery and Electric Vehicle Fire Control

1. Water spray cools batteries and helps suppress and slow the release of toxic gases but does not stop the chemical reaction (thermal runaway). Other extinguishing agents (CO, dry chemical, etc.) can trap heat instead of removing it and could result in false (lower temperature) readings.
2. During an electric vehicle (EV) fire, consult the manufacturer’s specific emergency response guide for help with identifying high voltage and medium voltage cabling. DO NOT CUT THESE CABLES.
3. Most electric vehicles have emergency cut loops which are low voltage wire loops that can be cut to disconnect the high voltage system from the rest of the vehicle. lf it is safe to do so, follow the manufacturer’s directions to disconnect the 12-volt battery. This will isolate the power to the high voltage battery and reduce risk of electric shock.

DAMAGED, DEFECTIVE, OR RECALLED LITHIUM BATTERIES

All lithium batteries can pose a fire risk, whether they are lithium metal or lithium ion, new or used. However, damaged, defective, or recalled (DDR) lithium batteries pose a higher risk than non-DDR lithium batteries because they are more likely to catch fire in a process known as“thermal runaway”. Thermal runaway is a chain reaction that leads to a violent release of stored energy and flammable gas. This reaction can spread to other batteries or combustible materials that are nearby, which could lead to a large-scale thermal event with severe consequences.

Signs that a battery is damaged, defective, or recalled include:

a、 Leaking electrolytes

b、 Swollen or discolored battery casing

c、 Odor or corrosion

d、 Burn marks

e、 Known conditions of use or misuse

f、 Being recalled

• Guide No.147 Fire Control Gudie for lithium-ion battery fires have been revised, and Emergency response for sodium-ion battery fires and guidance on electric vehicle fires have been added.