Patrick Durham
Battery Fire Safety Expert: Patrick Durham is a mechanical engineer and Captain at a suburban Fire Department in Michigan, with just over 20 years experience in each field. His engineering career centered on R&D in the automotive industry, focused on EV battery structures, safety specifications, failure analysis, and risk mitigation. He holds multiple patents related to EV battery structure design. That background, paired with hands-on fire service experience, gives Patrick a rare dual perspective on lithium-ion battery emergencies: he understands how these batteries fail at the design level, has responded to real-world incidents in the field, and has worked to engineer systems that prevent and contain those failures. He serves on the UL Fire Safety Research Institute's Batteries and EV panel and the IAFC Lithium-Ion Battery Committee, and is the founder of StacheD Training.
Patents
- Battery containment system
A battery containment system is provided that includes a unitary battery tray having a bottom and walls that from the bottom of said tray and defining a cavity within the tray.
- Impact resistant frame of battery containment system
A high strength frame of a sealable containment system is provided for containing and protecting energy cells or batteries.
- Battery containment construct with fire department connection and process of inhibiting a fire therewith
A battery containment construct including a first housing portion, a second housing portion complimentary to the first housing portion to define a cavity therebetween, and a fastening system to join the first housing portion to the second housing portion.
Articles
- Batteries Under the Tree Are Not What They Used to Be
For the holidays, Chris Greene and Patrick Durham discuss the importance of using the safest and most suitable batteries for consumer toys and hand tools.
- FSRI Study Focuses on EV Fires
This article explores the concerns and uncertainties surrounding EV fires, looking into the intricacies of firefighting efforts and the potential long-term effects on the health and safety of those on the front lines.
- Lithium-ion battery construction: Firefighters should know the differences
From chemical make-up to cell construction, not all lithium-ion batteries are the same
- Electric vehicle fires: Where the waiting game wins
Firefighters love testing new tactics and tools, but some methods simply don’t address the key issue with EV fires
Talk
- Lithium-ion Battery Fires - What Have We Learned in the Last Year?
Join our webinar on Fire Service Hazards and Building and Fire Code Prevention Efforts for Lithium-ion Batteries and Energy Storage Systems!
Podcasts
- Ep. #15: EV Fire Risks & Arc Flash Dangers Explained with Captain Patrick Durham
From thermal runaway and off-gassing to arc flash risks and evolving safety standards, this conversation dives into the realities most people don’t see.
- THMG522 – Batteries with Friends with Pat Durham
- Engineer and Fire Captain Patrick Durham on Battery Safety and the Moss Landing Fire
Lithium-ion batteries power everything from our smartphones to electric vehicles, but they also come with risks.
- HC0006 - Patrick Durham - Stached Training - EV Expert
Patrick shares his journey from automotive R&D to spearheading fire safety training focused on electric vehicles (EVs).
- Electric vehicle fires: Products, strategies and the power of time
Buckle up for an electric episode, driving hard into everything firefighters need to know about electric vehicle fires.
Videos
- Lithium-ion Battery Ignites Mid-Test: Extinguishers Useless
On June 9th, a battery pack pulled from a 2019 Kia Niro Hybrid ignited during a routine charge/discharge cycle test inside a Michigan testing facility.
- Do Lithium(Ion) Batteries Explode in Water?
In this video, I put lithium-ion and lithium metal batteries to the test—side by side—to see how each reacts when submerged.
- Burning Electric Vehicles: FSRI Research Engineer Interview
Gain an insider's perspective on the groundbreaking Electric Vehicle Fire Study conducted with UL FSRI in Northbrook, Illinois.
