Promoting Li-ion battery safety

Published: 02/08/2023 | Operational, Safety, Health & Wellbeing, Risk reduction | National

Lithium-ion battery fire incidents are on the rise in Aotearoa and around the world, with international Lithium-ion-related fire fatalities reported almost daily.

Through media coverage of local and international incidents, and the lived experiences of our front-line crews, risks related to lithium-ion batteries are increasingly clear. Fire and Emergency recognises the importance of making the public aware of the dangers to protect them from this growing problem and thereby ensuring the protection and safety of our firefighters.

We are taking a comprehensive approach to managing the risks associated with lithium-ion batteries, combining response, prevention, and education to help ensure the safety of the public, our firefighters, and the environment. This includes:

Providing information on the safe use, charging and storage of lithium-Ion batteries on fireandemergency.nz(external link). Extensive information on the safe use and disposal of lithium-ion batteries and links to council sites and other disposal locations is also available to our people on the Portal(external link).
A range of E-learning modules(external link) on The Learning Station which provide a basic understanding of EV technologies and the operational response to incidents involving them
Collaborating with other agencies, such as battery manufacturers and recycling companies, to ensure that lithium-ion batteries are handled and disposed of safely
Putting out lithium-ion battery safety messaging on social media and developing a public safety campaign around the safe use of lithium-ion devices, to focus on prevention and education
Consulting with government organisations (regulators) to promote safe lithium-ion battery handling and storage. We are also looking to work with Councils, businesses, and the wider industry to raise awareness of the potential fire risks associated with lithium-ion batteries.

In addition, to help operational crews better identify and record incidents involving lithium-ion battery products and devices, we are working to incorporate new information fields into SMS.

We’ll keep you updated as this mahi (work) progresses. Meanwhile, if you would like more information on the mahi happening in this space, please get in touch with the Community Readiness and Recovery team at crr@fireandemergency.nz