Chattanooga Fire Department Warns About Lithium-Ion Battery Safety During Fire Prevention Week

CHATTANOOGA — The Chattanooga Fire Department is warning residents about the dangers of lithium-ion batteries in everyday devices, from phones to scooters after a rise in home fires involving these batteries.

Senior Firefighter Allen Green, CFD’s Fire & Life Safety Educator, said the campaign is specifically focused on home safety. “Lithium battery safety in the home, not just out at the workplace or in your cars… specifically targeted at homes because there’s been an influx in home fires,” Green explained.

The Fire Department’s safety rules are simple: buy certified products, charge safely, and recycle properly.

“You choosing the right one, make sure it’s been tried, tested, and approved. If you don’t have the stamp from the right laboratory, that could be a problem,” Green said.

Proper disposal of old or damaged batteries is also critical. “For those batteries, then you got to deal with waste management. Who knows where those batteries are going? They’re not like throwing away paper to the landfill, which breaks down. Depending on the lithium batteries, they can cause a fire in that area. They have certain properties and could be very hazardous to the environment,” he added.

Firefighters urge residents to follow these steps to prevent dangerous fires in their homes during Fire Prevention Week.