Steve Wright, who took over as general secretary of the FBU earlier this year, said illegally-modified e-bikes and scooters were a particular concern.
Natasha Johnson-Mall tragically lost her life aged just 27 in a fire sparked by an e-bike last November. Her partner, Karlo Bogdan, 24, and their two dogs also perished in the devastating blaze at their Coventry home, caused after a battery Karlo had installed on the e-bike burst into flames.
“The battery that we believe Karlo had purchased was subject to a product recall before he purchased it due to… other fires that have happened nationally,” said fire investigation officer Annette Carrington. “It’s obvious that this risk was unknown to Karlo.”
An e-bike battery bursts into flames under controlled conditions (Photo: Electrical Safety First)The unique dangers of lithium-ion battery fires
“It seems like a lot of people are buying scooters cheaper, and actually they are not regulated, and then they are storing them in high-rise blocks of flats,” FBU leader Wright told The i Paper.
“I think our equipment needs to keep pace with the advances in technology. So also the training of firefighters that’s been cut over the years,” he said.
“Cars are more advanced, and lithium-ion battery risks are going up. There is no way of extinguishing a lithium-ion battery in a motor vehicle. Water will not put that out.”
There has been a spike in fires caused by lithium-ion batteries, which are often found on e-bikes (Photo: Getty Images)Why are lithium-ion battery fires so dangerous?
Lithium-ion battery fires are challenging to extinguish due to their unique characteristics.
Internal chemical reactions within them can sustain combustion even without external oxygen, as the battery itself generates oxygen during thermal runaway.
This process, where heat triggers further heat-generating reactions, can lead to rapid temperature increases, potentially causing explosions or the release of flammable gases, such as hydrogen, methane, and ethylene.
These gases can ignite, intensifying the fire, while toxic emissions like carbon monoxide, hydrogen fluoride, and hydrogen chloride pose health risks.
These elements make lithium-ion battery fires more hazardous and difficult to manage compared to fires fuelled by conventional materials.
Specialist fire extinguishers, containing either foam, CO2 or other dry chemicals, can be used to put out a lithium-ion battery fire.
They can also be isolated in a fire-resistant area or container, which can help to limit the fire’s spread and allow it to burn out safely.
“What has increased is our attendance to climate-related incidents. I know there are climate change deniers in Reform, and I would love to have that argument all day with them because I’ve been on the front line. We’re attending more floods, more wildfires.
The new union boss has deep roots in the fire service: he followed his father into the job, and his son, Ben, has also joined up. He says the reality of the dangers of the job was brought home to him when his son was on duty at a nearby station the night two firefighters died tackling a blaze at Bicester.
“I’ve seen my dad die of cancer. I’ve seen what I’ve been exposed to over 25 years. If I can change what future generations are exposed to, I think that’s what I want to do. That is what keeps me awake at night.”
Union remains aligned with Labour
But the new FBU general secretary is keen to present himself as firmly on the left and says he wants Labour’s conference in Liverpool in September to force Sir Keir Starmer to restore the whip to four MPs kicked out for serial rebellion earlier this month.
Despite his unease that Labour is failing to be the “broad church” it should be, Wright says the FBU has recently reaffirmed its affiliation to Labour, and there is no huge appetite to return to the position of the past.
He is pleased also that it is Rayner’s department – the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government – that now has responsibility for the fire service and not the Home Office.
Does he feel that while Rayner is doing a good job, Starmer isn’t? “It does feel a little bit like that. It does feel like every day they’re chucking challenges our way.”
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