Overview

• The NFPA’s 2025 campaign, “Charge into Fire Safety: Lithium-Ion Batteries in Your Home,” runs Oct. 5–11 with state and local partners leading outreach in schools, stations, and community events.
• Guidance centers on “Buy, Charge, Recycle Safely”: choose UL/ETL/CSA‑listed products, use manufacturer‑approved chargers on hard non‑combustible surfaces, unplug when fully charged, and never place batteries in household trash.
• Officials highlight disposal risks, citing two Durham, N.C., garbage‑truck fires since June, an EPA tally of 245 waste‑facility incidents over seven years, and CPSC data on 200+ e‑mobility fires or overheating in 2021–22 with at least 19 deaths.
• Departments are staging live demonstrations and checks, including a North Carolina Office of State Fire Marshal burn demo Tuesday in Wilson, nightly open houses in Champaign, Ill., and student safety drills at Milwaukee’s Survive Alive House.
• Local messages stress warning signs and handling: stop using swollen or overheating batteries, avoid charging on beds or couches, tape terminals before drop‑off where required, and use Call2Recycle or retailer programs for approved recycling.