As the number of lithium-ion battery fires continues to spike across Canada, Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services (LFES) and the City of Lethbridge are reminding residents to safely charge, store and recycle batteries. The reminder comes ahead of this year’s Fire Prevention Week, which runs Oct. 4 through 10. “Just as recently as last week, we had a small fire in one of our garbage trucks,” said Jonathan Fitzgerald, a waste and environment education and outreach analyst for the City of Lethbridge. With an increase in phones, laptops, electronic bicycles, power tools and toys, the city’s waste and recycling department says incidents involving fires have grown. “When they’re placed in your carts for collection, they will end up in our trucks, where they are compacted, and those can lead to fires, which can cause a huge safety risk to residents and to our staff,” said Fitzgerald. This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign is themed “Charge into Fire Safety” and focuses on three simple actions: “Almost every household has lithium-ion batteries in them, and so we would just like to remind residents that how you choose to purchase, charge and dispose of these batteries can make a big difference in preventing fires,” said Neill O’Grady, a fire prevention officer with LFES. Lithium-ion batteries can compactly store a significant amount of energy. O’Grady says if a battery is damaged, overheated or improperly charged, that energy can be released quickly and create a serious fire. He says fires caused by lithium-ion batteries can pose their own set of challenges for firefighters. “It’ll depend on the size of the battery, but they do take large volumes of water to extinguish these fires,” said O’Grady. “They just kind of go into what’s called a thermal runaway event, and they just perpetuate themselves and work their way through all the different cells until they’re all damaged and spent.” To help with properly disposing of batteries, the city will be offering its curbside battery collection program from Nov. 17 through 27. “Residents are able to take their household batteries, place them in a clear plastic bag like this, and then set them out on their green cart on their collection day,” said Fitzgerald. “Residents can use a Ziplock bag from their home, or they will also receive these bags in the mail.” Throughout Fire Prevention Week, members with LFES will be at the Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization, Park Place Mall and Nord-Bridge Seniors Centre answering questions and sharing information about lithium-ion battery safety, smoke alarms and other ways residents can reduce fire risk at home.
