Sunday marked the start of Fire Prevention Week in Quebec (Oct. 6 to
Oct. 12) and the Fire Department of the Town of Brome Lake is raising
awareness in the local community around how to stay safe, particularly
when it comes to the use of technological devices that have lithium
batteries.

Kevin Robinson, director of Fire and Public Safety for the Town of
Brome Lake, told CIDI in a recent interview that one of the growing
concerns that the fire department is trying to sensitize the population to
is how to safely use a technological device, such as an e-scooter or a cell
phone, due to the potential fire outbreaks that can occur.

Providing an example, Robinson said that something as small as
someone plugging in their phone to a charger and then deciding to put it
under their pillow when they go to sleep can lead to the batteries
overheating and create what is called “thermal runaway,” which can lead
to fires that are “very, very hard to put out.”

Despite this emerging concern, Robinson noted that from his experience
people are “much better at prevention than they used to be,” which is
why it’s important to continue to publicly raise awareness around
prevention and safety.

Listen to the interview below for the full story:

By Taylor McClure
Townships’ Daily News Bits
CIDI 99.1 FM
Published on 09/10/24 – Published on 09/10/24