FDNY officials and environmental advocates insisted Tuesday that New York City’s rigorous review system makes lithium-ion battery storage facilities safe enough to live next to during a tense City Council oversight hearing where lawmakers and residents pressed concerns about fire risks and facilities planned close to homes and schools.
Chief Thomas Currao, who leads the FDNY’s Bureau of Fire Prevention, said the department’s multilayered safety checks have made the city’s oversight “the benchmark for the safety of urban energy storage systems.”
