If you happen to follow the township’s fire department’s Facebook page there are fire safety videos about fire dangers.
The dangers of fires igniting from lithium-ion batteries is year round, but certainly emphasized during Fire Safety Month in October.
If you happen to follow the Washington Township Fire Department’s Facebook page, there are fire safety videos throughout the month informing residents of dangers.
“Today’s fires burn hotter and faster, so it’s important that you know what to do in the event of a fire,” the department noted.
Firefighter Ricky Moore kicked off the month reminding residents of the importance of working smoke detectors in homes.
“Think about it, if your home doesn’t have working smoke detectors, how will you know if a fire has started in your home? You won’t.”
Captain Dan Paceiwicz’s crew and Fireman Freddie’s Barbecue provided kitchen fire safety tips.
Moore provided a video on safe grilling cooking tips. The department encounters a few grill fires a year.
Firefighter Wayne Caprio and their friends at Good2Go provided some safety tips on HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) equipment and water heaters.
Firefighter Tom Miller discussed the hazards and care of lithium-ion batteries found around the home.
“Lithium-ion batteries are found in almost every device that we use today whether your laptop, a cell phone, a vacuum, a drill or e-scooters,” he said, as another firefighter passed by on an e-scooter. “Lithium-ion batteries are inherently safe but they do have some fire safety risks. When they do catch on fire, they burn about 3,000 degrees, hotter than anything else in your house. And the smoke that comes out of lithium-ion batteries is a very toxic smoke,
“The acronym that we like to use is CHARGE.”
- C for Certified device, only use certified batteries and certified chargers for devices.
- H for Handling with care,
- A for Alert to warnings – hot device
- R for Recycling – do not put lithium-ion batteries in the trash. There are designated recycling centers that take e-waste and certified to take lithium-ion batteries.
- G stands for Get out if device starts smoking and catches on fire.
- E is for Educate – Let know kids and neighbors the hazards of the batteries.
“When in doubt, call 911,” Miller said.
The Washington Township Council recognized Fire Prevention Month during a meeting in October and presented a proclamation to Fire Chief Patrick Dolgos of the Washington Township Fire Department.
“Every day is a challenge for us in the fire service,” Dolgos said. “With the increase in use of lithium-ion batteries, it has created a significant increase of our fires and hazards throughout the country – over last few years – in fact in Washington township – just the other night – incident involving lithium ion battery – have been many homes throughout our region that have been affected or destroyed improper use lithium ion battery –
The members of the Washington Township Fire Department took extra steps this year to educate the public on lithium-ion hazards and other fire prevention tips.
“The videos we put together are entertaining and definitely hits the message we wanted to deliver,” Dolgos said. “Fire prevention is not just in the month of October; we want to stress it throughout the entire year and throughout township.”
