Las defective lithium batteriesused by electric vehicles such as bicycles and “scooter” type motorcycles, have become a major safety problem in the Big Apple, which so far in 2024 alone have already been responsible for 18 accidents, so City authorities are redoubling actions to avoid new tragedies. Last year there were total of 267 fires, related to this type of charging devices, which left 150 injured and 18 dead.
This was stated this Friday during a safety meeting, the commissioner of the Fire Department, Laura Kavanaghwho warned with great concern that lithium batteries, which a couple of years ago did not cause any deaths in the five boroughs, are now the main cause of fires and deaths in the midst of conflagrations in New York.
“We have seen our fire chiefs and our Office of Fire Prevention enforce the law at every bike shop in New York City. “We have seen our firefighters and our fire safety education unit conduct thousands of inspections and educational opportunities in the five boroughs and yet what we have continued to see is that these fires occur in residential apartments,” the official said.
The Commissioner mentioned that the serious problem of incidents with defective lithium batteries is that they do not generate fires but explosions, which exponentially increase damage and tragedies.
“Overwhelmingly, we see deaths in residential apartments where batteries may already be banned, where the device is illegal; or even, we are seeing manufacturers go so far as to place fake UL stickers on the devices,” said the chief of the Big Apple Fire Department. “In most arson cases we don’t see as much damage as when a lithium-ion battery fails. “That’s why we want to continue to emphasize to the public how extraordinarily dangerous they can be.”
And in the midst of the warning work that the authorities have increased, and the records and inspections that are being carried out in stores selling motorcycles and electric bicycles, the Municipal Administration warns that it is necessary for the issue to be addressed from three fronts: fight for additional regulation, education and enforcement of the law, and at the federal level, by having Congress pass a ban on devices without UL certification from entering the country. However, the call is also for users and the public to understand the seriousness of these types of artifacts.
The Commissioner of the Fire Department, Laura Kavanagh. Photo: Flickr NYC Mayor’s Office
“Here in New York City we have already banned these unsafe devices, and yet we continue to see them appear, we continue to see them in homes, and we continue to see them killing New Yorkers. Therefore, we ask Congress to, first of all, prohibit these from entering ports so that they cannot be sold or resold,” he said. Commissioner Kavanagh. “We will also go to Albany in the coming weeks and support the Governor’s bills to make sure these devices cannot enter New York State. And finally, we will introduce a new package of bills to the City Council that will build on the work we have already done with the City Council over the last year, give us additional law enforcement authority, and impose additional fines.”
The Deputy Vice Mayor for Public Security, Louis Molina, joined the call and said that it is urgent to continue waging war on illegal lithium batteries that do not meet the required safety requirements.
“I can’t emphasize how dangerous this is. Consider that someone could be charging an electric bicycle inside your apartment in the same building where you live. and he has a battery that he got on the internet that is not certified or has not been renewed and, suddenly, it catches fire,” the official said. “In a matter of seconds, his entire apartment can be engulfed in flames. So even if you personally don’t have one of these devices, this is something that has the potential to affect each and every one of us. “That’s why we need to keep spreading the word and keep raising awareness.”
Fire Chief Daniel Flynnstated that despite the intense inspection work that the authorities are carrying out in commercial sites and in spaces where bicycles and electric motorcycles are crowded, it is urgent that the community join the work, reporting illegal batteries or dangerous situations.
“We are going to enforce the law together, but we also need the public’s help. Therefore, we encourage the public to, “If you see a situation that you consider unsafe, call 311 and we promise to go out within 12 hours to inspect that place.”said Flynn, noting that they found more than 500 violations related to lithium batteries last year.
“So far we have had 18 fires. We have had 18; “This time last year, we were at 15. So, we are seeing a little increase from this time last year,” the official added. “Fortunately, there have been no deaths (this year). Last year we had 18 deaths from fires related to these devices.”
Data
- 267 fires caused by lithium batteries were recorded last year
- 150 people were injured
- 18 deaths were recorded due to these fires
- 500 violations related to lithium batteries were reported last year
- 18 fires have already occurred due to this cause in 2024
- 15 was the number of conflagrations in the same period of 2023
- There have been 0 deaths this year
- 311 is the line to report dangerous batteries or unsafe actions with lithium charges
2024-02-07 01:01:00
#Fire #Department #sounds #alarms #increase #fires #due #lithium #batteries #NYC #Diario
