By Marcy Ost
Lithium-Ion Batteries Public Education Program
Just in time for the holidays, the Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI) has created a public safety education campaign, Take C.H.A.R.G.E. of Battery Safety, to drive safe behaviors among the public related to the use of lithium-ion battery devices.
C.H.A.R.G.E. stands for:
Choose certified products
Handle lithium-ion devices with care
Always stay alert for warning signs
Recycle devices and batteries properly
Get out quickly if there’s a fire
Educate others on safe practices
The campaign was rolled out at a recent symposium, which was recorded and can be found here. The individual parts can be found here. There is a dedicated website where you can toggle back and forth between first responder and public info. The first responder side has a toolbox with flyers, trainings and guides. The public side also has many great resources like infographics, fact sheets and a PSA. The PSA is eight minutes long, but it’s eight minutes well spent, and the first 30 seconds are attention-getters!
The US Fire Administration also has some resources, including suggested messaging and graphics, available here.
Two scary statistics are coming out of the research into the lithium-ion battery fire trends.
- Time to flashover has gone from 17.5 minutes in the 70’s to as low as 3 minutes in 2007. The time to flashover in a typical fire resulting from an e-scooter is 25 seconds. Twelve seconds after the smoke alarm goes off.
- The increase in incidents is astounding, as shown in this chart.
Lunch and Learn
On Tuesday, December 12th, the State Fire Marshal’s office held its second Lunch and Learn to assist departments in getting signed up for online reporting. Partners at the North Dakota Firefighters Association and the North Dakota Forest Service joined. Guests included representatives from ER by ESO, NFIRS and a local department that has worked through online reporting. If you’re interested in joining for future Lunch and Learns, please reach out to Marcy at 701-328-5555 or infofm@nd.gov.