ULSE Serves as Knowledge Partner for Fire & Security India Expo

On August 24-26, UL Standards & Engagement proudly served as the knowledge partner for the sixth Fire & Security India Expo - the flagship event of the Fire & Security Association of India and Nova Exhibitions and Conferences. The three-day event included demonstrations and presentations on solutions for passive, active and organizational fire, safety, and security management.

Expert speakers included ULSE Executive Director Dr. David Steel, Vice President and Executive Director of the Electrochemical Safety Research Institute of UL Research Institutes Dr. Judy Jeevarajan, ULSE Vice President of International Standards Sonya Bird, ULSE Regional Standards Manager Manjunath V., ULSE Director of Standards Engineering Data Science Denice Durrant, and ULSE Lead Project Engineer Wil Fletcher.

EV Battery Fire Demonstration

On August 24, Steel and Manjunath opened the event with a welcome address, thanking event organizers and participating organizations, and outlining the goals for collaboration.

“UL Standards & Engagement offers solutions to global safety challenges. And there may be no greater challenge than tackling climate change and creating a more sustainable world,” Steel said. “Battery electrical energy storage systems and electric vehicles are a critical part of reducing emissions and advancing greater sustainability. The lithium-ion batteries that power them offer enormous benefits, but also carry significant fire risks. That’s why we’re here today.”

Following the opening remarks and a session on the science of lithium-ion battery fires, the Maharashtra Fire Services conducted a live demo of lithium-ion battery fire mitigation with support from the ESRI and FSAI. The live demo of the electric vehicle battery fire was conducted to help evolve guidelines for first responders. 

When exposed to off-nominal conditions, lithium-ion cells can go into thermal runaway, leading to smoke, fire, and high temperatures that can propagate to other cells in a battery module or pack. Efficient fire protection and suppression methods are thus critical to minimize the hazards associated with li-ion battery failure events. India saw many EV fires in 2022, and as these vehicles use Lithium-ion batteries, the fire mitigation and first responders need to be trained to address these battery fires. 

The National Conference on Fire Risk Reduction and Mitigation

On August 25, ULSE, in partnership with Bureau of Indian Standards, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Maharashtra Fire Services, and FSAI, hosted the National Conference on Fire Risk Reduction and Mitigation with the goal of developing a timebound action plan to address the new safety challenges associated with emerging technologies. The conference featured an interactive Manthan (brainstorm) session for fire safety officers and stakeholders to develop a roadmap in building Surakshit Bharat (a safe, secure, and sustainable India). 

Several panel discussions took place, including, “Technological Advancement & International Benchmark to Effectively Mitigate Fire,” featuring Durrant as a panelist and Manjunath as moderator. An additional panel discussion, “National Building Codes & Standards for Safer India,” featured Fletcher as a panelist.

Through discussions on global best practices, NFRRM helped drive collaborative efforts to equip technologically enabled fire safety officers and stakeholders for addressing operational challenges. 

Read our event report on the National Conference on Fire Risk Reduction and Mitigation