05/14/2026
Recently, we conducted a few of our famous fire extinguishers trainings with local factory workers. 👷 Everyone got a chance to put out a real fire with a real fire extinguisher but, while important, that wasn't the highlight of what we had for in store for them.
If you've ever been through a training with the DRB Crew then you know, we don't just talk about PASS or drone on about different types of extinguishers. Of course, we do have to cover those things, but we also always bring something fresh to the table. For this particular training, we weren't able to do that. 😭 We, unfortunately, had to repeat the same topic...
As we told the participants, we talked about this a lot last year and we're gonna talk about it a lot again this year- BUT we know more about it!!! And, if you hadn't already guessed, that topic is . So, just in case you aren't able to participate in a DRB fire safety training this year, we wanted to recap some of that new info for you:
🔋 Fires involving LI batteries are not fires you can use an extinguisher on! Do not expect to be able to fight these fires at all. Evacuate, get yourself and those around you to safety.
🔋 Know the warning signs that a battery may be failing: hissing or popping sounds, extremely hot to the touch, weird smells, and wisps of "smoke" are BAD.
🔋LI batteries are extremely fragile and temperamental; even slight damage can cause them to lash out! They don't like to be overcharged or undercharged; they don't like to be overheated or too cold. Rust, dents, dings, bulging = BAD.
🔋 Fires involving LI batteries are most likely to occur while charging or during the recycling process. Charging fires are often due to improper devices being used, damaged cords, or overcharging/undercharging an already damaged unit. Recycling fires occur because folks did not in fact recycle- they threw them in the trash can- BAD.
These are just a few details that have come to light over the past year in regard to lithium ion batteries and the fires they cause. As these batteries continue to become more prevalent in our lives, the fires associated with them will too!
BTW- those "LI Rated" extinguishers you might have seen online are 💩