This week is 2025 Fire Prevention Week, and this year’s fire prevention campaign is ‘Charge into Fire Safety™: Lithium-Ion Batteries in Your Home.’
The goal of the campaign is to educate everyone about using and charging batteries safely. The campaign stresses how important it is to buy, charge, and recycle safely when it comes to lithium-ion batteries.
Charge into Fire Safety: 3 Steps from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
- Buy only listed products. When buying a product that uses a lithium-ion battery look for a safety certification mark such as UL, ETL, or CSA. This means it meets important safety standards.
- Charge devices safely. Always use the cords that came with the product to charge. Follow the instructions from the manufacturer. Buy new chargers from the manufacturer or one that the manufacturer has approved. Charge your device on a hard surface. Don’t overcharge your device. Unplug it or remove the battery when it’s fully charged.
- Recycle batteries responsibly. Don’t throw lithium-ion batteries in the trash or regular recycling bins because they could start a fire. Recycle your device or battery at a safe battery recycling location. Visit call2recycle.org to find a recycling spot near you.
On October 10th, Berlin Elementary School’s annual Fire Safety and Prevention Day, Principal Mrs. Cataldo started the day with a successful fire drill, where students and staff evacuated the building quietly and swiftly. Superintendent Mr. Rizzo participated in the morning drill and welcomed local volunteer emergency responders as they assembled outside before the day’s events were underway.
After the fire drill, the BES Mountaineers were split into two groups: Kindergarten-2nd grade and 3rd-5th grade. During the assembly portion, Berlin Fire Department Volunteer Mrs. Tammy Osterhout educated the Mountaineers on how to safely use, charge, and recycle lithium-ion batteries, which are found in many common electronics like smartphones, laptops, and e-bikes.
The assembly also included important safety tips, such as the importance of having smoke detectors in your home, making sure you have an evacuation plan in place at your home, knowing to stay low during a fire, not to hide from a firefighter, and never to return to a building on fire.
Mrs. Hooks challenged the Mountaineers with a task for the long weekend: to come up with a home evacuation plan with their families if they did not already have one.
While one group attended the assembly, the other students explored safety vehicles and equipment with local volunteer responders in the back bus loop.
Thank you to the Berlin, Grafton, Petersburgh, and Stephentown Volunteer Fire Departments and volunteer emergency responders who took time to be part of this very important annual event at the Berlin Elementary School.
Please find more information and a video about Fire Prevention week here https://www.nfpa.org/events/fire-prevention-week
Take some time to ask your child to share what they learned at this year’s fire safety assembly and ensure you have a home safety plan.
Mountaineers’ fire prevention posters were collected by the Berlin Fire Department who will be sharing the results of the contest in the coming weeks.
Check your smoke alarms BCSD Community!
Photos: BCSD Communications and Mrs. Denue-Forquer