Weyburn's Fire Chief Trent Lee is urging residents to be aware of the potential dangers of lithium-ion batteries, which are found in a wide range of devices from cell phones to electric vehicles.
"While we haven't had any reported lithium-ion battery fires in Weyburn yet," said Lee. "But it is a growing concern throughout North America and the world. These fires can spread very quickly, giving you less than a minute to escape after the initial signs of battery failure."
"The lithium-ion battery is protected by the circuit board, but there are many little things that could cause that circuit board to fail, resulting in a lithium-ion battery fire."
He emphasized the importance of recognizing early warning signs, such as physical damage to the battery (swelling, punctures), unusual sounds like hissing or popping, or excessive heat during charging.
"Usually, almost immediately, you'll have white or grey smoke coming from the battery, which is explosive gases. That reaches the right mixture of oxygen and fuel, and then you could have an explosion."
"If you notice any of these signs, stop using the device immediately. If you can safely unplug it, evacuate the building and call 911. Firefighters are trained to handle these situations safely, " instructed Lee. "This is highly toxic smoke. One breath of this could leave you in an incapacitated state, or worse."
"Immediately get out. Call 911, and have the fire department come check things out to make sure everything is okay because it could still take some time from the initial smoke being visible to what we call 'thermal runaway'. There is no way of preventing thermal runaway or stopping thermal runaway."
Since Lithium-ion does react with water, he noted, and it is an electrical device that has stored energy in it, putting the device into water puts the user at a greater risk. One also should not attempt to throw it out a window or anything that could mean directly contacting the battery.
"Once that's hissing and smoke starts, it could be five seconds, It could be 45 seconds, it could be a minute and a half before that battery puts off so much heat and or explodes. So you're putting yourself at great risk by even picking it up. These fires could be well over 1000°. So the risk is just not worth it. You're not going to save anything you could end up losing your hand or even worse."
To prevent fires, Lee recommended several key safety tips:
Never modify the battery or charger. This includes avoiding dropping the battery.
"We all drop our phones, it just takes a freak way of dropping the phone and causing damage to that circuit board inside that could cause that thermal runaway or battery to explode."
Use only the charging equipment that came with the product and buy certified batteries and chargers, looking for UL or CSA certification on the packaging.
"Some of these websites people are shopping on nowadays and a lot of them are not third party tested by an agency that confirmed they are safe to use, so we always want to make sure that we buy replacements or extra parts from the manufacturer or that it's been certified by the third-party testing company such as UL, CSE. That's very important to do. You want to make sure that you know your devices and scooters and hoverboards are certified and tested as well."
"We need to make our dollar stretch that extra distance these days. But when we buy some of these overseas products that are not tested, or they don't meet certain standards, we definitely put ourselves at risk."
Store batteries away from direct sunlight and extreme temperatures, and whenever possible, charge devices outside, especially larger batteries found in e-bikes and scooters.
Avoid charging phones in the bedroom overnight. Instead, charge them on a desk or counter.
"It is highly recommended that phones be charged outside of the bedroom and keep your bedroom doors closed at night."
Lee concluded, "By following these simple steps and changing some habits, we can significantly reduce the risk of lithium-ion battery fires. These batteries are here to stay, so let's learn to live safely with them."
For more information on lithium-ion battery safety, visit batteryfiresafety.org.