UNDERSTAND the risks and consequences
Understand what you can do to prevent a lithium battery fire in the first place, including:
- Your batteries, chargers and warning signs
- Best practice charging procedures and guidelines (and follow them)
Understand what could happen if and when a fire starts, including:
- The dynamics of a Lithium battery fire itself and progression cell-by-cell
- The catastrophic potential of a chain reaction of secondary fires
ISOLATE your charging area
Isolate your charging area from any potential secondary ignition or fuel sources for the fire, including:
- Other batteries, charging or model related equipment unrelated to charging
- Anything else flammable – from workbenches to paints, model fuels gas or paint aerosols, through to mowers, boats and cars
CONTAIN any incident
Take preemptive steps to physically contain the potential flames from the lithium battery in its early stages (likely multiple explosions / flares):
- Physical barriers like charging boxes
- Access to water, sand or similar if the fire is approachable
Extend this, as far as possible, to managing the toxic smoke away from enclosed spaces and people
PROTECT yourself and others
Protect yourself and others from harm. At their worst a lithium battery on fire, and its secondary ignitions, create an unstable chain reaction of explosions, fire and smoke that can be deadly. Recognise that once taken hold there may be nothing you can safely do other than call the fire brigade.
Download PDF of the Action Plan HERE
For drill down in each area please follow the buttons below