Gordon Graham
Category: Fire

Gordon Graham here with Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Today’s Tip is for all my friends in the fire service, and it’s a big one, folks. Today I want to talk about lithium-ion battery fires.  

It’s up to you as firefighters to keep up with advances in battery technology and train, train, train on the best methods to extinguish these fires. 

Rarely does a week go by without headlines about fires caused by lithium-ion batteries. In New York City, the problem of lithium-ion battery fires led the city council to enact local ordinances related to the storage, service, sales, and charging of these devices.  

Devices powered by lithium-ion batteries have been around for many years and are common in the home. You might have some lying around in the form of laptop computers, tablets, and smartphones. They may be in your garage too, such as a rechargeable lawn mower or power tools. There may even be an e-bike or scooter out there. And don’t forget the electric vehicle and its charging station.  

The Fire Safety Research Institute and the FDNY have been studying lithium-ion battery fires and the best ways to extinguish them. First, the bad news: You can forget about using dry-chemical fire extinguishers. They don’t provide cooling to curb the thermal runaway. CO2 fire extinguishers will not be effective.  

Water is still the best extinguishing agent for lithium-ion battery fires, though an enormous amount of water is needed. The goal is to cool the battery pack and eventually stop the thermal runaway.  

For smaller lithium-ion devices, tossing them in a bucket of water or the bathtub is the simplest way to mitigate the problem. One warning: Don’t pick up the device with your hands; use a shovel or other tool.  

Folks, lithium-ion batteries are here to stay because they provide an effective solution for energy storage. It’s up to you as firefighters to keep up with advances in battery technology and train, train, train on the best methods to extinguish these fires.  

And that’s Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Until next time, Gordon Graham signing off.