The Ottawa Fire Department battled a difficult, non-extinguishable lithium ion battery fire at Kalmar recently. Fire crews were not able to extinguish the fire utilizing traditional suppression techniques. Ottawa Fire Chief, Shawn Dillon, says they requested mutual aid from Consolidated Fire District Number 1, out of Douglas County, who deployed a special trailer used just for such fires. It has the ability to absorb thermal and free radical energy as well as encapsulate fuels, aiding in extinguishing lithium ion fires. Shortly after arrival, firefighters were able to apply the suppression system and suspend the thermal runway of the lithium batteries.
The Douglas County fire crews have access to this specialized trailer due to a strong partnership with Evergy Electric, who owns several of the trailers for fire suppression in their electrical production and distribution facilities. Dillon says local leaders will most likely need to discuss and investigate obtaining a similar piece of equipment to better handle situations such as the Kalmar fire, along with the potential of a solar farm being built in the county, which would have a very large lithium ion battery, as well as the increasing number of electric vehicles traveling in and through Franklin County.
