IAFC FLSS Chair Testifies on Lithium-Ion Battery Safety
On October 21, Elizabeth Bednarcik, the IAFC Fire and Life Safety Section Chair and Deputy Fire Chief/Fire Marshal of the Brighton (CO) Fire Rescue District, testified before the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). She encouraged the CPSC advance its draft “Safety Standard: Lithium-Ion Batteries Used in Micromobility Products and Electrical Systems of Micromobility Products Containing Such Batteries.”
Chief Bednarcik focused on the need for a fire safety standard for e-bikes and micro mobility devices. She discussed the increase in incidents involving e-bikes and lithium-ion batteries. She also explained why these types of incidents are particularly challenging for fire departments and why they are more dangerous to the public and the fire service. She also answered questions from the commissioners about the dangers of fighting lithium-ion battery fires and the opportunity to use the National Emergency Response Information System to gather more data on these types of incidents.
The CPSC released its draft regulations in June. The IAFC provided written comments in support of the regulation. Now the CPSC must consider its rulemaking to promulgate these standards. In addition, the IAFC is waiting for the Senate to pass the Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act (H.R. 973/S. 389.)
IAFC Calls for National Research and Training Program to Help Firefighters Respond to Incidents Involving Electric Vehicles
On October 20, Fire Chief Steven A. Locke (Ret.), the IAFC President and Board Chair, attended the annual Fire Safety Solutions Summit, which was hosted by the Zero Emission Transportation Association and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, along with John Butler, IAFC President (2023-2024) and the Fire Chief of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. At the meeting, Chief Locke called for a national program to include:
* A nationwide research program to develop tactics and policies to help communities prepare for incidents involving electric vehicles (EV).
* Focus on the health and safety of firefighters, along with the impact on vehicle occupants and those affected peripherally by incidents involving these vehicles.
* Funding for fire departments to train for responding to EVs and purchase the necessary equipment to respond to incidents involving EVs and their charging infrastructure.
*Include the growing subset of EVs, which includes autonomous vehicles.
The IAFC proposal was developed with the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firefighters Association; the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation; the National Fire Protection Association; and the National Volunteer Fire Council.