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CCNTV6
  • 6 weeks ago
Commuters passing through City Gate were given an opportunity to get fire prevention safety tips and to have a look at some of the equipment used by the T&T Fire Service.

As the TTFS marks Fire Prevention Week, it is zoning in on the use of devices with Lithium-Ion batteries and the risks they can pose if not used properly.

Alicia Boucher has the highlights.
Transcript
00:00Members of the TNT Fire Service were at CityGate on Monday morning in an awareness and education
00:12drive to mark Fire Prevention Week. The 2025 theme is charge into fire safety,
00:19lithium-ion batteries in your home. Fire Station Officer at the TTFS Fire Prevention
00:25Section Northern Division David Hunt says lithium-ion batteries are the future and it is
00:31important that people know how to use devices containing these batteries properly. He tells
00:36us they have the potential to be serious fire hazards. So give me an example of some of the
00:41devices for those who don't even know what a lithium-ion battery is. Right, so usually it's
00:50any type of device that is rechargeable. So you start with your laptop, your tablet, your
00:56phone, your airpods, the electric bikes, electric scooters, your vated machines and even the
01:05electric vehicles. They all use lithium-ion batteries.
01:12The Fire Service wants the public to be aware of the use, the storage and the charging of
01:16these devices. Firstly Hunt says the devices should be used only for the purpose they
01:22were intended.
01:23Charging them, make sure that you use the certified full charger by the manufacturer and when you
01:30are storing them, make sure you store them at least among the chargers possible. So when
01:35we're charging the devices, we try not to charge them on combustible materials. We try not to
01:40charge the devices when you are sleeping overnight.
01:51He points to smoke detectors as a means of enabling early warning. According to Hunt, the
01:57fires that can be caused from lithium-ion batteries can present specific challenges where a breakdown
02:04of a battery can cause a process called thermal runaway.
02:07Chemical reaction takes place within the battery. As such, high heat is generated at a very rapid
02:14period of time and as such, it gets out of hand very quickly.
02:19As for some of the other equipment on display...
02:22The First Aid Ambulance section is also there displaying their equipment and teaching the
02:47public about things like CPR and First Aid. The TTFS is undertaking several initiatives in North,
02:54Central and South Trinidad and in Tobago, such as community outreach including for senior citizens,
03:02drills and displays and a motorcade in South. On Friday, the Northern Division team will be at the
03:09Bryan-Laura Promenade. Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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