Rob Rezende was heading home from a hazmat conference in Sacramento when people started texting him about a lithium-ion battery fire in Escondido.
Before his plane took off, he watched drone footage on his phone showing smoke and flames erupting from a container at the SDG&E energy storage facility on Sept. 5. This was the second battery storage facility fire in San Diego County since Rezende became the region’s alternative energy emergency response coordinator in April. It is a role carved out especially for him as fires involving lithium-ion batteries grow more common, locally and elsewhere.
Rezende, a battalion chief with San Diego Fire-Rescue and a 17-year department veteran, is a nationally recognized expert in lithium-ion battery fires. In his new role, other agencies like Escondido can call on him to look at their fire response.