The Calgary Fire Department has launched a campaign that they hope will stop fires, more than 400 of them, that have been caused by lithium-ion batteries in Calgary over the past several years.

Speaking at the Calgary Firefighter Museum on Nov. 6, Fire Chief Steve Dongworth said that the trajectory of fires caused by that particular form of battery has been on the rise, and that have led to fatal fires in other jurisdictions.

“We know it’s coming, and we’re starting to see it as well. We’ve seen fires in E-mobility devices, EVs, and other types of lithium-ion batteries across the city,” Chief Dongworth said.

“All lithium-ion batteries, and in particular uncertified ones, have the potential to overheat, catch fire and cause explosions. It’s called thermal runaway, and this happens with little to no warning. These fires can quickly reach temperatures of over 500 degrees Celsius, producing toxic gasses and dangerous smoke.”

He said that the fire department is asking Calgarians to do two things: properly charge batteries, ensuring that they don’t overcharge or aren’t charged again after they are completely drained, and to ensure that those batteries are certified, lab-tested products.

“Only use certified batteries and chargers. Uncertified products carry a higher risk of fire and explosion, so you need to look for the ULC or CSA logo on the packaging and never modify these batteries,” Chief Dongworth said.

“Handle damaged lithium-ion batteries carefully. If a battery is hot, swollen or leaking, producing smoke. Do not use it if you see a lithium-ion battery fire, get away fast. Leave the area immediately and phone 911, these fires release toxic gasses and are difficult to put out.”

The use of lithium-ion batteries should also be limited to safe operating temperatures between zero and 40 degrees Celsius, the Chief said.

Chief Dongworth said that a particular hazard of these sorts of lithium-ion battery fires is that they can’t be put out using water and that when they do start, they tend to burn for a long time.

“Very often we can put out a fire in a vehicle with an internal combustion engine within 20 minutes, completely knock it down and have it put out. Now across the industry, we’re hearing it can be a three hour firefight with an electric vehicle to get to the same place, and often it will reignite afterwards. So it’s a different technology that we need to we need to be aware of,” he said.

He said that smaller batteries also need to be disposed of correctly, at City of Calgary Eco Centres, or at an approved location indicated by recycleyourbatteries.ca.

Improper use of lithium-ion batteries causing fires in Calgary

The Calgary Fire Department said that there have been over 50 fires in Calgary landfills from batteries that were improperly disposed of and then caught fire after being crushed along with other garbage items.

“The main problem is people don’t separate them out of the waste stream. Don’t put them in your green bin, your black particularly, or your blue bin. They don’t belong in any of those. They should be recycled separately,” Chief Dongworth said.

“People often don’t even realize that there’s a lithium-ion battery in something like a child’s toy. They get into the landfill, though, accidentally, and this is happening again around the world. There’s those big machines that go and compact stuff, they break the batteries or damage them and they go into thermal runaway, and you’ve got a fire in your landfill.”

The Calgary Fire Department along with the Toronto Fire Service recently sent a letter to the federal government asking for stricter regulations regarding the importation of batteries and devices into Canada that aren’t certified and tested.

“What we’re asking for is greater regulation of batteries that are coming from offshore, not just batteries chargers and even the devices themselves, because they’re all part of a system,” Chief Dongworth said.

“People often find that it’s much cheaper to buy a battery from Amazon or an online place, which comes from offshore, and very often that doesn’t have that certification. We’re starting to see a trend where, while the research is showing, those are much more likely to be problematic batteries because of the construction and the design.”

For more information on the Calgary Fire Department Charge Safe program, see calgary.ca/chargesafe.