Lithium-ion battery fires; prevention, safety

WEST BEND, Wis. - It's a problem that's on the rise nationwide: Lithium-ion battery fires.

Lithium-ion batteries are part of our daily lives.

 "We have them in our cellphones, laptops, our smoke detectors," said Fire Suppression Solutions consultant Rick Cohn. "The community does not understand the danger of it and what to do when it goes into thermal runaway or starts on fire."

He said because a lithium-ion battery will start producing its own oxygen when on fire, it's difficult to put out. That's why he's working with local fire departments for a solution.

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Cohn donated a lithium-ion battery fire emergency kit to the Slinger School District, with the hopes it will ignite a spark and fire departments catch on.

"As more and more devices and vehicles are going to be using lithium-ion batteries, we can only expect those numbers to grow," West Bend fire captain Kenny Asselin said.

He said e-scooters can be prone to fires, especially when charging.

"Make sure you are taking care of those batteries," he said. "Making sure you’re aware of the signs if they start to overheat, if they start to smoke, making sure that those batteries do not get damaged."

Cohn said don't buy cheap chargers that haven't passed a safety check, especially for your phone. As daily life becomes more dependent on lithium-ion batteries, he continues the awareness.

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"We’re coming up with a way, just like an AED, to have first responders, people in businesses, schools, everything, have a way to start removing the danger," Cohn said.

Fire Prevention Week kicks off on Oct. 6 and runs through Oct. 12, and the theme is "Smoke Alarms: Make Them Work For You." 

The West Bend Fire Department said sometimes, they override smoke detectors because they burn so hot and so quickly, so it’s important to have multiple smoke detectors.