ARFF NEWS (CONT)
the number of electrical-chemical storage systems for the energy transition increases. Legislation and regulations Current legislation and regulations do not stipulate any specific requirements yet for electrically powered aircraft. Pending specific legislation and regulations, it is important in the interest of safety that the industry translate existing legislation and regulations to electrically powered aviation. Chapter 9 Annex 14: The principal objective of a rescue and fire fighting service (RFFS) is to save lives in the event of an aircraft accident or incident occurring at, or in the immediate vicinity of, an aerodrome. The rescue and fire fighting service is provided to create and maintain survivable conditions, to provide egress routes for occupants and to initiate the rescue of those occupants unable to make their escape without direct aid. The rescue may require the use of equipment and personnel other than those assessed primarily for rescue and fire fighting purposes. The most important factors bearing on effective rescue in a survivable aircraft accident are: the training received, the effectiveness of the equipment and the speed with which personnel and equipment designated for rescue and fire fighting purposes can be put into use. As pointed out earlier, a Li-ion fire is very hard to control and extinguish. Cooling with large quantities of water is, for now, the best method. Immersing burning battery packs can also provide effective and controlled extinction. The fire hazard associated with lithium-ion batteries used for propulsion is characterised by a fire with a high calorific value, the speed with which the fire propagates, and the fact that such a fire is difficult to extinguish. In case of aircraft, contrary to cars, for example, immersion is not an option. This means, therefore, that a lot of water (thousands of litres) will have to be sprayed onto the fire over a prolonged period of time. Electricity and water do not go together, which is why battery units, Li-ion battery packs, and Li-ion batteries generally have some kind of waterproofing to keep water out. In case of fire, immersing burning batteries into a water container is, for now, the most effective way to bring down the temperature and stop the chemical reaction in the battery. When cooling the battery by spraying water onto it, the (cooling) water must be able to reach the burning cell, such as by injecting water into the battery packs. There are many initiatives across the industry and by fire safety companies to develop methods to effectively control or extinguish fires in lithium batteries for e-bikes and EVs. They claim to have In case of fire, immersing burning batteries into a water container is, for now, the most effective way to bring down the temperature and stop the chemical reaction in the battery. developed the ultimate extinguishing agent or system. However, these methods still have to 3 be approved after extensive testing and assessment of test results. This is also required under the US National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) standard that is recognised worldwide. The problem is, however, that realistic fire tests with lithium- based energy carriers are barely practicable, Li-ion batteries generally have some kind of waterproofing to keep water out. 2
When cooling the battery by spraying water onto it, the (cooling) water must be able to reach the burning cell, such as by injecting water into the battery packs. There are many initiatives across the industry and by fire safety companies to develop methods to effectively control or extinguish fires in lithium batteries for e-bikes and EVs. They claim to have developed the ultimate extinguishing agent or system. However, these methods still have to be approved after extensive testing and assessment of test results. This is also required under the US National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) standard that is recognised worldwide. The problem is, however, that realistic fire tests with lithium-based energy carriers are barely practicable, partly due to environmental restrictions and the impact of such testing on the immediate environment. RFFS Fighting a Li-ion fire requires a special approach. There needs to be adequate cooling capacity, for example, and lots of water on board fire fighting vehicles. Looking at ICAO Annex 14, Table 9-2, Column 2 and 4 (Water), we can, therefore, conclude that from airport category 3, there is sufficient water on board an extinguisher vehicle to be able to fight such a fire in aircraft of up to 9 metres in length ( Pipistrel SW 100 is 6.5m long = airport category 1 ). Experiences with such fires in road traffic show, however, that you quickly end up needing more than 4,000 litres of water to control or extinguish a fire in the battery pack of a mid-size electric vehicle.
ARFF NEWS | MAY- JUNE 2025 21 Information from aviation police shows that roughly that amount of water was used to extinguish the fire in the Pipistrel aircraft that crashed near Stadskanaal in 2018. And that while only one of the aircraft’s two battery packs had caught fire. Information from aviation police shows that roughly that amount of water was used to extinguish the fire in the Pipistrel aircraft that crashed near Stadskanaal in 2018. And that while only one of the aircraft’s two battery packs
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