The Township of Tiny’s Fire and Emergency Services Department is joining the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Charged for LiFE public education campaign to raise awareness about lithium-ion battery safety.
The Charged for LiFE campaign is broken down into four main components:
- Batteries – Only purchase certified batteries and continuously monitor the battery health.
- Charging – Lithium-ion batteries can be a fire hazard when improperly charged.
- Tampering – Never attempt to modify, tamper with, or build your own lithium-ion batteries.
- Disposal – Lithium-ion batteries are household hazardous waste and should never be placed in the garbage.
More information about the campaign can be found at www.chargedforlife.ca/.
Where can lithium-ion batteries be found?
Lithium-ion batteries are often small but very powerful batteries that power many of the technological tools we use every day. These batteries can be found in many household technology products such as cellphones, smartwatches, cordless vacuums, e-bikes, laptops, and power tools such as drills.
Lithium-ion battery safety tips
- Look for recognized Canadian certification marks like CSA, cUL, or cETL. Several examples of approved symbols include:
| Canadian Standards Association (CSA) | Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL) | Edison Testing Laboratories (ETL) |
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- Always follow the manufacturer’s guidelines and only use the battery that is designed for the device.
- Only use the charging cord that came with the device, do not keep charging a device after it is fully charged, and do not charge a device on a soft surface such as under your pillow, on your bed, or on the couch.
- Keep batteries at room temperature when possible, and do not charge them at temperatures below 0 ˚C (32 ˚F) or above 40 ˚C (105 ˚F). Lithium-ion batteries can malfunction when they become too hot or too cold.
- Store batteries away from anything that can catch fire
Stop using the battery if you notice a change in odour, colour, shape, or if there is too much heat, if it leaks, or if it makes odd noises. Do not put lithium-ion batteries in the trash. They should be taken to one of the County of Simcoe’s Household Hazardous Waste depots to be disposed of properly. To learn more about where these depots are located, visit www.simcoe.ca/waste.
“Lithium-ion battery powered devices are often convenient tools that we use everyday, but they also need to be treated with care,” said Dave Flewelling, Director of Fire and Emergency Services/Fire Chief. “Our Department has joined this Charged for LiFE campaign to ensure that our community has the information they need to know about these batteries and that residents understand how to use them safely.”
Tiny Fire recently responded to an incident that involved a lithium-ion battery device being charged where the battery and the charger did not have an approved safety certification. Firefighters noted that the device caught fire overnight in a resident’s home while charging. This incident was thankfully minor as the device was being charged on a hard surface and noticed immediately by the occupant. Had this been in an area other than next to the homeowner, the outcome may have been more serious. This serves as a strong reminder to practice lithium-ion battery safety.