Lithium-ion battery safety campaign kit
Lithium-ion batteries are the fastest growing fire risk in New South Wales. Lithium-ion batteries contain a massive amount of energy in a relatively small space. When lithium-ion batteries fail, that energy is rapidly released which can create explosions, highly toxic fumes and secondary ignitions even after the flames have been extinguished.
The public can prevent hazards by charging safely, being aware of warning signs, disposing of lithium-ion batteries correctly and knowing what to do if something goes wrong.
This toolkit has been developed to help you communicate with your local community about how to safely use and dispose of lithium-ion batteries. It contains assets and resources for you to download and share.
On this page
Battery fire statistics
This chart and table represents battery related fires that have occured during 2023.
| Categories | Fires | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Small portable devices | 72 | 4 |
| Chargers | 36 | 7 |
| Micromobility | 67 | 20 |
| EV or Hybrid Vehicle | 3 | 0 |
| Energy storage systems | 21 | 0 |
| Other / Unspecified | 73 | 7 |
| Total | 272 | 38 |
Micromobility refers to e-bikes, e-scooters, mobility scooters or golf carts. Personal devices that are used to aid in mobility.
Community resources
General lithium-ion battery safety
- Campaign webpage: www.fire.nsw.gov.au/chargesafe
- Printable factsheet: General battery and charging safety factsheet (PDF)
- Social media resources: See the Lithium-ion Battery Safety Toolkit (Google Slides)
Further social media resources are available below including translated graphics.
E-bike and e-scooter battery safety
- Campaign webpage: www.fire.nsw.gov.au/ebikes or www.fire.nsw.gov.au/escooters
- Printable factsheet: E-bike and e-scooter charging safety poster (PDF)
- Social media resources: See the Lithium-ion Battery Safety Toolkit (Google Slides)
Further social media resources are available below including translated graphics.
Be Fire Safe | Lithium-ion Battery Safety
Below are Lithium-ion battery safety resources which supports our Be Fire Safe Winter Campaign.
Post copy:
Be Fire Safe: Don't ignore the signs! A damaged or failing Lithium-ion battery can explode, releasing highly toxic fumes. These fires are hard to put out. Never use or charge a damaged battery.
For more info, go to
www.fire.nsw.gov.au/chargesafe
Social downloads:
Translated tiles:
- Arabic
- Bangla
- Korean
- Nepali
- Chinese: Simplified | Traditional
- Tamil
- Vietnamese
Detailed information
For comprehensive information on Lithium-ion batteries, please visit www.fire.nsw.gov.au/batteries.
Resources for media
Research
Fire and Rescue NSW is currently leading a collaborative research program on the Safety of Alternative and Renewable Energy Technologies (SARET). Click here to learn more about the SARET program.
Glossary of terms
Micromobility
Micromobility refers to e-bikes, e-scooters, mobility scooters or golf carts. Personal devices that are used to aid in mobility.
Contact
Please contact media@fire.nsw.gov.au for media enquires or click here for further information.
Research related enquires
Please contact us at research@fire.nsw.gov.au for all enquiries regarding the program.
Did you know?
The use of heaters, cigarettes and candles are common causes of fires.
When you're asleep, you won't smell the smoke from a fire.
You're twice as likely to die in a home fire if you don't have a working smoke alarm.
Electrical appliances and faults cause almost 40% of home fires.