ANNUAL FLPFI MEETING INSPIRES GLOBAL DEBATE ON FIRE-SAFE STORAGE, MANUFACTURE AND USE OF LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES
20th December 2023
During a focused, superbly organised two-day programme held on October 27th and 28th in Mumbai, attendees were given a tour of local warehouse sites to see how innovative measures have been introduced to reduce loss of life risk and building damage.
Organised by Maharashtra Fire Services, the programme’s first day featured insightful site visits. These included a trip to Welspun One Logistics Parks (WOLP), a development management organisation that delivers large-format, institutional Grade ‘A’ warehousing and industrial parks across India. During their tour of WOLP’s HQ, delegates enjoyed a fascinating glimpse at a below and above ground tunnel specifically designed to provide safe exit for building occupants in the event of fire.
Day one of the programme also featured visits to CtrlS and Sify’s Data Centres, where discussions on ‘Active and Passive Fire Prevention in Data Centres’ proved of special interest to delegates.
On day two, attention turned to the meeting of the FLPFI held at the palatial ITC Maratha hotel in Mumbai. Designed to give an overview of the challenges involved in the fire-safe storage of lithium-ion batteries, the event included insightful, thought-provoking presentations from Sandeep Gupte (India Energy Storage Alliance) and Leo Subbarao (President Subbarao Technologies).
Thomas Roche, Principal Code Consultant, International Codes and Standards at commercial property insurers, FM Global, also addressed the audience. His revealing presentation looked at FM Global’s research into lithium-ion battery effective loss prevention practices.
The meeting was brought to a close with an open floor discussion, allowing delegates to put their own questions to the expert guest speakers.
Srikanth Yajjala, Executive Secretary at FLPFI said: “Delegates enjoyed an excellent two-day programme. Being able to witness fire protection measures employed in major industrial sites in Mumbai proved incredibly enlightening. Having spoken to delegates, they came away inspired by their experience and the presentations from our expert speakers. I’d like to thank everyone for their hard work in organising this year’s event. Furthermore, thank you to all attendees for your interest and input. Together we are working to make our warehouses and industrial spaces safer from the terrible consequences of fire.”