Roundtable Talk - Understanding and Demystifying Battery Storage Systems and the Fire Service

Brendan Cuffe is a Senior Manager of Execution Engineering at AES Clean Energy, where he leads engineering initiatives supporting grid operations and energy market integration. He has over 15 years of experience in power systems, renewable energy integration, and utility-scale infrastructure development.

Rick Edinger, EFO, has dedicated more than 50 years to public safety, serving as both a volunteer and career firefighter, medic, and hazardous materials responder. He retired in 2018 as Deputy Chief of Operations for a fire and EMS department in Virginia but remains actively involved in the field. Chief Edinger currently chairs the NFPA Technical Committee for Hazardous Materials Response Personnel and continues to consult, develop training curricula, and instruct in fire service and hazmat response topics.

Over the course of his career, Chief Edinger served 25 years as a hazardous materials technician with the Chesterfield Fire & EMS Hazardous Incident Response Team. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Fire Science Technology from Columbia Southern University and is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program. Additionally, he possesses certifications in various incident management disciplines and has responded to emergencies at both the state and national levels.

His core areas of expertise include incident and organizational management, safety leadership, and risk mitigation. He also serves as a contract instructor for the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, MD, where he teaches hazardous materials and special operations courses. 

Eric is a retired firefighter who brings 20 years of experience with him to the energy storage industry. Eric received his Bachelor’s in Fire Administration from Bowling Green State University. During his tenure with the fire service, Eric spent his time in multiple organizations as a Fire Instructor for Clark State College and Sinclair Fire Academy, a Rescue Technician with the Region 3 Strike Team, as well as a Special Rescue Instructor with Rescue Methods. Within his home department, he was assigned as a field training operator (FTO) for new recruits, a Union Leader with ten years’ experience, a member of the Miami County Hazmat Team working closely with the county EMA’s office, and a member of the department’s Dive Team. Before he left the fire service, Eric spent the last year helping his department secure the only fire training tower in Miami County. Over the last six years, Eric has been a member of ESRG’s testing cadre as an onsite firefighter for full scale battery fire testing. As of three years ago, Eric became a full-time employee with ESRG and has spent his time assisting with ESRG’s lab, while also traveling the country training and consulting numerous fire departments along with stakeholders about battery energy storage safety and standards.