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Firefighters urge state to require placards for buildings with energy storage systems
Summary
Firefighters told the Senate Committee on Government Operations they want visible placards on buildings that house energy storage systems (including lithium-ion batteries) so emergency responders can identify hazards quickly; presenters cited off-gassing and rare but rapid failures and urged low-cost signage or code changes.
Members of the Vermont State Firefighters Association and allied groups urged the Senate Committee on Government Operations in March 2025 to require visible placards for buildings that contain battery energy storage systems, saying the signs give firefighters a quick visual cue about hazards when they arrive on scenes they have not seen before.
Dean Gilmore of the State Firefighters Foundation and Peter Hartman, president of the Vermont State Firefighters Association, described incidents in which batteries off-gassed and then ignited, and they showed committee members a short video and photographs of a garage door blown off by a battery event. David DiBiase, representing a municipal firefighters association, said the placards would be inexpensive and practical.
“We’re looking for signage on all buildings that have this,” Gilmore told the committee. He said placards…
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