There's a good chance your shopping list this holiday season includes at least one rechargeable product with a lithium-ion battery.
According to Connecticut's State Fire Marshal Lauri Volkert, many rechargeable products sold online and in stores do not meet safety standards and could be a fire hazard if they are poorly manufactured or counterfeit.
She warns that electric bikes and scooters need to be vetted.
“E-mobility devices are really kind of the biggest hazard, because they're large batteries that are being customized and worked after market, which is the higher hazard,” Volkert said.
Lithium-ion battery fires contain volatile electrolytes which can release flammable gases when damaged or exposed to high temperatures, which the U.S. Fire Administration said it is one of the reasons why they are so hard to put out.
“When you're looking for something to buy, it's really important to do your due diligence, to read through those product specifications and find out if the products have been listed or labeled by third party agencies,” Volkert said.
Those third party agencies are testing companies that make sure the product is safe and works as designed.
There are several legitimate companies within the industry, she said, such as Underwriters Laboratories and Intertek.
Items with a lithium-ion battery that meet safety standards will be sold with a logo from the testing company that vetted the product.
Once you start using that rechargeable product, Volkert reminds users to follow certain guidelines when the device is being powered up.
- Device should be placed on a hard surface when being charged
- Always unplug battery when it reaches 100%
- Only use a charger from the product’s manufacturer or approved by manufacturer; don’t just use any charger that fits
Volkert said it is hard to know exactly how many lithium-ion battery fires there have been in Connecticut. Under the current incident data collection system that’s been in place for decades, fire departments weren’t required to record them.
But that will soon change. By January 1, 2026 all fire departments will have switched over to a new reporting software system called the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS).
Fire departments will be collecting data on not just what started a fire, but what other emergencies they are reporting to, and in which communities.
“It's giving fire departments information about what types of incidents they've been responding to, and also where there may be vulnerabilities in their community. So that way they can produce better outreach in terms of risk reduction and risk mitigation across their communities,” Volkert said.
Volkert said she is excited about the new system because it offers real time data reporting, so it will be much easier to track emerging trends as they are happening.
NERIS will not collect any personally identifiable information.
