00:00 – Introduction & Fire Incident Hello there, I’m Gavin Coleman, I’m Senior Build Manager, and we’ve had an incident where we had batteries that were being charged in the charging bank. Overnight on Wednesday night, one of the batteries evidently must have caught fire, and the Armorgard (VoltHub) did what it needed to do. The fire suppression kicked in, suppressed the fire, and the first thing we knew about it was when we came in and opened the site yesterday morning, and the alarm was going off. We opened the unit to find out that there had been a fire, the (Li-Ion) batteries had been extinguished, and, yeah, there was no further risk! 00:40 – Risk & Consequences I mean, if we’d been using our normal, traditional locker system in the canteen or elsewhere on-site, the consequences could have been completely different. Had it been in the canteen, the fire could have been severe, potentially spreading to the offices and beyond. Obviously, if the containers had caught fire, there would have been a huge cost involved, as well as a significant delay. We’re talking a number of weeks out of action, having to shut the site entirely—big implications for contract costs and the overall program. 01:10 – Safe Battery Storage We’ve looked at various alternatives to store our batteries, especially after incidents on other sites around the UK. Our safety team recommended Armorgard as a product to use, so we trialed it. Essentially, the system has a heat detector in each individual locker, and in this instance, the fire started in one locker. That triggered the fire suppression unit and the alarm, and only the affected locker had the suppressant discharged into it. 01:39 – Containing the Fire This means the fire doesn’t spread to any of the other lockers. Upon successful testing of the remaining equipment, most of the other batteries or tools should still be serviceable. If the fire had spread to other compartments and damaged more batteries, that would be a higher cost and a bigger inconvenience for other contractors. The fact that the fire was contained in just one locker is extremely helpful. 02:07 – Armorgard Support & Final Thoughts So far, our experience with Armorgard has been very good—from purchasing the unit to the support. The assistance we received after the fire was also excellent, and I’ve been very impressed. For those who haven’t invested in a VoltHub, you’re taking quite a risk. It’s common to see batteries stored on the floor in canteens or near offices, and that’s obviously a significant hazard. Even with standard, proprietary battery banks, you’re putting yourself at great risk of a fire, and potentially a very severe incident.