VIDEO: A Central Illinois fire department has a mission to spread awareness and safety tips about a common item around the house during National Fire Prevention Week. The Champaign Fire Department hosted a kick-off event on Sunday to educate people on the fire risks of lithium-ion batteries.
Firefighters in Champaign said that this week isnโt just an opportunity for them interact with the community, but itโs also to get out current information about trends theyโre seeing involving fires. They said that they look at data and risk factors.
This year, the hot topic is lithium-ion batteries. They said that you can find these in a lot of day-to-day items like phones, tablets, laptops, and scooters. Firefighters said that lithium-ion battery fires are a rising issue nationally, and theyโve even been deadly in other parts of the country.
โActually, compared to other cities in Central Illinois, Champaign has a higher population density, due to the university and the large amount of apartment buildings we have. So, one apartment or one hallway in an apartment building or commercial building, having even a small lithium-ion battery fire, can create problems for a lot of people. Potentially, a larger safety concern than people realize,โ Jeremy Mitchell, a Champaign Fire Department Deputy Fire Marshal, said.
