Fire Prevention Week is officially underway with a focus on lithium-ion batteries. This year’s theme is ‘Charged into Fire Safety: Safe Charging is a Superpower.’ Emergency officials were on hand Saturday in Dartmouth to explain how to use lithium-ion battery powered devices safely. “The big thing is don’t leave them unattended while they’re charging, don’t leave them charging overnight, don’t leave them charging on a soft surface,” said Nova Scotia Deputy Fire Marshal Arden Weagle. “If you notice them getting extremely warm, swelling, an odour, anything like that, it’s time to see what’s going on there and properly discard them if necessary.” He said to get rid of them safely, you should contact your local recycling facility to make sure the batteries are not put into a landfill which could cause a fire or an explosion. Back in July, a fire at a waste and recycling facility in Clarence East, N.S., was caused by the improper disposal of a lithium-ion battery. Weagle said there are lots of ways lithium-ion batteries can cause fires. “They call it the thermal runaway… You could drop it on the floor, it could be punctured, it could be overheated, you could use improper chargers – ones that the manufacturers don’t recommend. You could alter the battery somehow like in an e-bike or an e-scooter,” he said. These types of batteries can be found in many common household items and it’s important to know which ones. “Lithium-ion batteries can be found in anything as small as a hearing aid today up to an EV like an electric vehicle, e-bike, e-scooters and even now battery energy storage systems that you see that are connected to the grid and solar farms as well. There have been some recent incidents with these sites that pose a huge danger to the public as well.” While the focus of this year’s Fire Prevention Week is on lithium-ion battery safety, Weagle said it’s important to practice general fire safety year-round. “Always make sure you have working smoke alarms and always be prepared.” Fire Prevention Week runs from Oct. 4 to 10. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
