Charge into Fire Safety during Fire Prevention Week

By David Yin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

Whitchurch-Stouffville Fire & Emergency Services will kick off its Fire Prevention Week activities with its annual open house happening Sept. 13 at Fire Station 5-1.

The event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will feature local firefighters, a community barbecue, games and prizes. Visitors will learn more about fire safety as they participate in the event.

Fire Chief Bill Snowball said that the fire department will also interact more with the local community and use toolkits to educate residents about lithium-ion battery-related fire safety.

Fire Prevention Week will take place from October 5 to 11, providing residents with an opportunity to learn more about fire safety.

The National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) declared this year’s theme as “Charge into Fire Safety: Lithium-Ion Batteries in Your Home.” It outlined a three-step plan to ensure the safe storage, use, and disposal of lithium-ion batteries: Buy only listed products, charge devices safely, and recycle batteries responsibly.

To only buy listed products, NFPA advises people to look for a safety certification mark, such as UL, ETL, or CSA, on lithium-ion battery-powered devices.

To charge devices safely, NFPA advises people to follow each manufacturer’s instructions, only use charging cords that come with the respective product, and make sure that new chargers are either manufacturer-made or manufacturer-approved. NFPA also advises people to charge devices on hard surfaces, unplug or remove batteries when fully charged, and avoid overcharging their devices.

To recycle batteries responsibly, NFPA warns people against throwing lithium-ion batteries in either trash or recycling bins, since doing so creates a fire hazard. Instead, NFPA advises people to take their batteries to a battery recycling depot, and lists https://call2recycle.ca/ as a way to find one nearby.

Stouffville Fire Chief Bill Snowball added that the NFPA’s tip about buying only listed products should apply to all devices that interact with lithium-ion batteries, such as chargers.

“It’s important for residents to observe fire prevention all the time, 365 days a year,” he said. “I think Fire Prevention Week just draws more attention to it.”

According to Statistics Canada, almost a third of all residential fires from 2015 to 2021 were related to cooking, and over one in 10 residential fires occurred in homes without a working smoke alarm.

NFPA has sponsored Fire Prevention Week since 1922. The organization offers printable and social media toolkits for this year’s Fire Prevention Week. To obtain one, go to nfpa.org/events/fire-prevention-week.

Photo: According to Statistics Canada, almost a third of all residential fires from 2015 to 2021 were related to cooking.