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Board discusses battery storage safety: third-party review, qualified responders and inspection cadence
Summary
Planning staff summarized BESS (battery energy storage system) training and new fire-code provisions: third-party design review is required, qualified-response firms (NYSERDA list referenced) must be within a four-hour response window and inspections are required every three years.
Planning staff briefed the board on recent training and updated fire-code expectations for battery energy storage systems (BESS). Staff said the new provisions call for an independent third-party review of BESS designs as part of any approval and that the approval will identify qualified firms that can respond to an incident at an installation.
According to the presentation, an incident-response plan in the training materials described a 50-minute notification window to the town and a four-hour response window for qualified firms to arrive on scene; the training also referenced a three-year inspection interval for BESS installations. Ron (staff member) noted the town could rely on NYSERDA for lists of firms qualified to inspect and respond. "The best system has to be a review by an independent third party," Ron said, summarizing the expectation for BESS approvals.
Board members emphasized the importance of ensuring the fire department can access plans and that response firms listed for the project are reasonably available within the required time frame. The board directed staff to ensure the fire department receives plan access for review as part of the coordinated review for projects that include BESS components.
