(Milford)– This week, October 5th-11th, marks the observance of National Fire Prevention Week. Jason Simpson of the Milford Fire Department says this year’s theme is “Charge Into Safety: Lithium Ion Batteries In Your Home”…
“The NFPA is putting out a lot of really good information because of all the lithium ion batteries out there and in their brochure they talk about three main points and that’s buy your batteries of a good quality, and then how you charge them and follow all the safety instructions, and then when you need to get rid of it, where exactly you should recycle them.”
Lithium ion batteries are present in a large amount of items we use in a typical day, including cell phones, smart watches, laptop computers, electric bikes and scooters, to name just a few. Simpson says precautions need to be taken when it comes time to recharge those batteries…
“One of the safest practices you can do with an e-bike charging it is you need to charge it outside. They don’t recommend charging those in bedrooms in case the battery malfunctions. It could very easily start a very hot fire. They also go on to say most cell phones have a lithium ion battery in it and they recommend charging those on a hard surface and do not charge them under your pillow or in your bed.”
Simpson says the Milford Fire Department will commemorate Fire Prevention Week by taking their message to students at the Okoboji Elementary School…
“We’re reaching out with the Okoboji Elementary School and working with the first class students, bringing them up to the fire station and we’re going to talk about some different fire safety tactics they can do with some of the different lithium ion batteries since most of their toys and devices now carry a lithium ion battery in it.”
More information about National Fire Prevention Week, along with additional safety tips on lithium ion batteries can be found at fpw.org.
