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The growing media issues with electric bikes and scooters is becoming a major issue in the fire and life safety field and the overall lack of data and appreciations of consequence is alarming.
Clearly there are serious and significant issues with the lithium batteries and the potential issues from fire from damaged or sub standard batteries, but, within the fire industry this is still something of dark art, the NFCC and brigades, local authorities and insurance providers seem at a loss as to what guidance to offer.
Insurance providers as ever still have their head in the sand and will remain thus until such time as a major fire is attributed to a faulty or damaged battery then they’ll just refund the premium and treat the policy as void.
The fact that bikes and scooters have been banned on all London transport facilities – buses tubes and overland trains, most schools and colleges in the capital are following suit and in some areas the rentals market is waking up to the fact that these issues might cause them significant issues in the event of a fire from a damaged or defective battery.
Currently these are only a small number of extinguisher providers with units capable of dealing with this type of fire and thus conventionally used/available units will not address a fire.
Further issues apply with EV and parking of electric vehicles below residential blocks and the potential for a serious and significant fire from a variety of sources, also potentially issues with lightening and or surge are also now being talked about far more openly as potential problems, in new residential developments where vehicles do not have a place and electric bikes are promoted or provided the whole issue of the charging of and risk to persons within an apartment must be considered in the round along with what measures if any are required to mitigate this.
Furthermore, only approved CE marked battery units should be used and thus avoid the potential for inferior and more to the point, dangerous cheap units coming into residential buildings with the likelihood of a much greater risk of fire.
The role log the risk assessor here is also somewhat prickly, within a common areas assessment it might be that the issue is hidden from the assessor on the day especially if the bike store within the building has no evidence of battery issues or their charging, thus charging within the apartments might not be able to be verified if only a door inspection is part of the brief (albeit that will be both sides) so overall the question over the increase in risk, it may be that a communal bike store may require additional and enhanced fire protection and passive work to ensure that any risks are adequately considered.
Clearly this is the future, BUT, the current fire concerns are both real and significant so all of those involved with the use of battery equipment, tools and portable appliances, cars bikes and scooters etc must be aware of the risks now whilst this type of problem exists even in its very early days, it will improve and we will, as ever learn from the consequences, however today, the risk is real and, in a lot of areas ignored.
