Local leaders stress battery safety during National Fire Prevention Week

Residents using a battery-powered device can be supercharging superheros, and help prevent battery fires with their “safecharging superpowers” — at least, according to the National Fire Prevention Association. This week, Oct. 4-10, celebrates National Fire Prevention Week, a nationwide campaign to educate the public on low-maintenance tricks and tips to prevent home fires.

This year’s theme, “Charge Into Fire Safety. Safe Charging Is a Superpower,” highlights the danger of battery charging, something often overlooked and taken for granted in a digital society.

“The power and energy that are stored in those batteries is like nothing we’ve seen before,” Laconia Fire Chief Tim Joubert said. “Even a small little cellphone can establish a ton of energy.”

That energy is the problem at hand.

Overheated batteries fall victim to thermal runaway, an uncontrollable chain due to an increase in temperature, which causes more heat to be generated. This can result in a fire, or explosion.

For 130 years, the National Fire Prevention Association has served as the “global advocate for the elimination of death, injury, property, and economic loss due to fire, electrical, and related hazards.” Each year, for National Fire Prevention Week, a large-scale campaign offers tip sheets, statistics, and activities and coloring pages for kids, meant to reinforce safety messaging.

The association recommends a few, easy-to-implement habits to safely charge battery-powered devices. To start, cheap chargers, while appealing, are not worth the chance.

“Not using knock-off batteries” means folks are using equipment certified for safety standards, Joubert said, reducing the risk of damage to the battery, which could cause a fire.

Products listed by a nationally-recognized testing lab are recommended, like UL, ETL or CSA. Most battery packs have an icon featuring the laboratory’s initials.

If a battery pack or electronic device feels hot, stop using it immediately.

“Stop using your device if it feels very hot, starts to swell, smells strange, leaks, smokes, or makes popping or hissing sounds,” according to National Fire Prevention Week materials. “A damaged battery can overheat and start a fire.”

Allowing the heat source to remain plugged in could be costly.

“Any damage to these appliances could result in a catastrophic failure of the battery itself,” Joubert said.

It’s also really important such devices are only used on a hard surface. That means no propping laptops up on pillows while sending an email, or charging your cellphone in bed under your pillow while you sleep.

“Soft surfaces like beds, pillows, and couches can trap heat and block airflow, which can cause a battery to overheat,” according to the flyer.

If a battery is fully charged? Unplug it.

“Leaving a device plugged in can increase heat and stress on the battery,” NFPA resources state. “Unplug your device when it is fully charged.”

Finally, large chargeable items, such as ebikes and scooters, should be charged safely outside — and not just because they’re meant to be stored there.

“These batteries are larger and store more energy. Fires can grow quickly if the battery fails," the campaign states. 

According to Joubert, this isn’t the first time the event has raised awareness about battery fires.

“It’s the first time ever that the NFPA has done the same topic back-to-back years. It shows the importance of battery safety,” he said.

As always, the NFPA and local fire leaders encourage the use of working smoke detectors in the home, as well as an emergency escape plan.

Last year’s theme, “Charge into Fire Safety: Lithium-Ion Batteries in Your Home,” educated the public on how to safely buy, charge, use, and dispose of lithium-ion batteries.

Across the Big Lake in Moultonborough, state and local responders conducted a mock fire drill at the transfer station on Wednesday, with one goal in mind: preparing for a lithium-ion battery fire started due to thermal runaway.

Disposing of batteries is equally problematic, since if sent through the compactor, a resulting fire can’t be put out simply by spraying it with water.

“On July 1, 2025, the law went into place that banned disposal of lithium-ion batteries. The main reason for that is because they are prone to thermal runaway and fires. They can be very unstable,” said Tara Mae Albert, solid waste operator training and certification coordinator with the waste management division of New Hampshire’s Department of Environmental Services, in a previous interview. “When put through a compactor or crushed, they will definitely react. You cannot put that fire out with water.”

For more information, visit nfpa.org/events/fire-prevention-week.

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Katlyn Proctor can be reached at katlyn@laconiadailysun.com or by calling 603-524-0150.