Standard Operating Procedures, Guidelines, and Manuals
The following documents provide information about how to use items that are a fire hazard. Some of these documents are in a downloadable format so that you can print them for your operation as is. When you click the link it will automatically go to the download file.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Electric Bikes (eBikes)?
EBikes and eScooters are technically known as “motorized micro-mobility devices.” They are powered by electricity, which is usually provided by a lithium-ion battery. EBikes can have a motor that either fully propels the vehicle or assists the rider with pedaling.
Do eBikes catch on fire?
Most eBikes and eScooters are powered by lithium-ion batteries. This is the same type of battery that powers many of today’s electric vehicles, cell phones, laptops, and power tools. When lithium-ion batteries are damaged, they can overheat, catch on fire, and even lead to explosions. When fires occur, they also tend to burn very hot and can be difficult for firefighters to extinguish.
EBike and eScooter battery fires have also been associated with faulty charging equipment, improper charging practices, and overloaded electrical circuits. Learn more about the electrical hazards involved with e-bike and e-scooter charging in a recent blog written by an NFPA electrical content specialist.
How often do fires occur?
While there are no national or international statistics on how often eBikes or eScooters catch on fire, it does happen with some regularity—and the numbers are rising. The City of New York Fire Department (FDNY) reported more than 130 such fires in 2022. These fires have led to five deaths, dozens of injuries, and property losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars. In 2019, the first year FDNY started tracking eBike fires, only 13 were reported.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recalled about 22,000 eBikes whose lithium-ion batteries can ignite, explode, or spark, posing fire, explosion, and burn hazards to consumers,” CPSC wrote in a statement.
In all of the following cases, the personal decisions made by individuals to charge eBikes in their homes left others in harm’s way. Over the summer of 2022 on Mackinac Island, an eBike battery that exploded and melted left both the homeowner and firefighters with injuries related to smoke inhalation. In September 2022, investigators say a fire that killed an 8-year-old girl in Queens was likely ignited by an eBike battery charging inside an apartment unit overnight. November 2022, an electric wheelchair lithium-ion battery fire caused over $250,000 in damage and seriously injured two elderly occupants of an assisted living complex that required to be rescued by firefighters in the City of Ann Arbor. A fire in December 2021 killed a New York City man who was running a business charging eBikes within his residence, while two teenagers narrowly escaped the same fire themselves by shimmying down a pipe mounted to the building’s exterior wall.
Why are lithium-ion batteries flammable?
Lithium-ion batteries store a lot of energy in a small amount of space. When that energy is released in an uncontrolled manner, it generates heat, which can turn certain internal battery components into flammable and toxic gasses.
How do fires from lithium-ion batteries start?
Lithium-ion battery fires happen for a variety of reasons, such as physical damage (e.g., the battery is penetrated or crushed or exposed to water), electrical damage (e.g., overcharging or using charging equipment not designed for the battery), exposure to extreme temperatures, and product defects.
What are some unique dangers of lithium-ion battery fires?
Heat, smoke, the release of toxic gasses, and the potential for explosions are the dangers associated with lithium-ion battery fires.
What are some safety tips for buying, charging, storing, and using lithium-ion batteries in devices like laptops, phones, tools, and more?
- Always follow manufacturer recommendations.
- Purchase batteries that are only listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory and labeled accordingly.
- Never leave lithium-ion batteries unattended while charging.
- Stop charging a battery once it is full.
- Use charging equipment that is only compatible with your device. To be safe, use only the charging equipment that is supplied with your device.
- Stop using your device if the battery shows signs of damage, such as an unusual odor, excessive heat, popping sounds, swelling, or change in color.
- Have all repairs performed by a qualified professional.
Where is the safest place to charge batteries in eBikes and electric vehicles?
When it comes to eBikes, eScooters, and electric vehicles, the safest place to charge these devices is outdoors away from any structure or enclosure and not in direct sunlight. Do not charge a battery when either the charger or the battery is damaged. Do not store batteries in extremely hot or cold locations or in an area that blocks the only exit out of a room. And do not attempt to modify the battery or charger.
Once the batteries catch fire and water is applied to them, does it make the fire worse because lithium in the presence of water creates combustible hydrogen?
Firefighters should use water to fight a lithium-ion battery fire. Water works just fine as a fire extinguishing medium since the lithium inside of these batteries are a lithium salt electrolyte and not pure lithium metal. Confusion on this topic stems from the fact that pure lithium (like what you see in the table of elements) is highly reactive with water, while lithium salts are non-reactive with water.
How should lithium-ion batteries be disposed of?
Lithium-ion batteries and the devices that contain them should not go in household garbage or recycling bins. They can cause fires during transport or at landfills and recyclers. Instead, lithium-ion batteries should be taken to separate recycling or household hazardous waste collection points. Many stores that sell large quantities of lithium-ion batteries will have a recycling program where you can return the batteries there. Your local waste management or recycling center should be able to take lithium-ion batteries as well.
