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NAVAL SAFETY COMMAND Lithium-Ion Battery Fires


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Publication Title | NAVAL SAFETY COMMAND Lithium-Ion Battery Fires

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NAVAL SAFETY COMMAND
SAFETY AWARENESS DISPATCH
SA 23-12
Lithium-Ion Battery Fires
We initiated this dispatch due to the rising concern of lithium battery
fires (“lithium-ion” batteries, to be precise)1, particularly in the homes
of our service members. With the use of these batteries in cell phones,
power tools, laptops, electric bikes, scooters, electric cars, etc., our
service members likely own multiple devices containing lithium-ion
batteries. These products are generally safe, but when damaged or
misused, they pose a fire or explosion hazard that can be especially
harmful from gases that can be released and the difficulty in
combatting a lithium battery fire. There is limited off-duty data on this
subject, as a mishap would only be reported if a severe injury occurred
to a service member, but a cursory internet search demonstrates the
prevalence of this issue. The following on-duty examples, however, illustrate the importance of using lithium-ion batteries properly, whether at home or on the job.
 How not to respond to a venting battery. While deployed on a ship in a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), a Marine needed to charge several batteries for the following day’s mission. He removed the batteries from the container in the vehicle storage area. He brought them to his troop living space to charge overnight (hardly the place to bring potentially hazardous material). At 0100, several occupants noticed a burning chemical smell. The Marine checked the batteries and found one was overheating and smoking. He promptly wrapped the battery in a bed sheet and placed it in a paper bag before calling the berthing petty officer to report the issue. (Hmm; wrapping an overheating device in two sets of flammable material seems entirely logical). Long story short, the device did not fully ignite, fortunately, and was jettisoned from the ship after it was incorrectly determined not to be hazmat. However, after the incident was resolved, several members of the berthing reported chest pain, eye irritation, and trouble breathing. The NAVSEA manual on lithium battery safety, S9310-AQ-SAF-010 Rev 3, directs that lithium batteries shall not be stored or charged in living spaces and, in the event of a swollen or overheating battery to evacuate the area and call Explosive Ordnance disposal. —This unit’s lack of understanding of policy and lithium-ion battery hazards exposed the team to toxic gases, nearly started a fire in berthing, and resulted in throwing hazmat overboard. Please do better than they did.
 Improper Storage. After completing operator training with an Otter Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV), the device was placed in the storage area for the remainder of the day. The next morning, two people entering the storage area found smoke and fire coming from the Otter USV. They were able to put the fire out, but not before it caused $80,000 of damage to the $600,000 USV. The investigation concluded a battery caught fire, damaging the system around it. The batteries were not being charged at the time of the fire. Investigators could not identify what caused the fire due to damage, but they did point out that per NAVSEA guidance, the batteries should have been removed from the device and stored separately. The report noted that pre-deployment, post-deployment, and recovery operations checklists provided by the manufacturer were not being filled out and maintained, and there was no Job Qualification/Personnel Qualification Standard (JQR/PQS) or Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for personnel training on this system. —Had the unit better implemented JQR/PQS/SOP and relevant checklists, their personnel might have known to remove the batteries when putting their toy away. Commanders and supervisors, this lesson is for you.
 The Cost of Not Knowing Exactly What You’re Buying or How to Use it. A Navy research facility required lithium-ion batteries and was permitted to source them through an other-direct-cost purchase under a specific contract. When the batteries were delivered, the engineer receiving them verified there was no damage and began to charge them. He used sound judgment in monitoring the new batteries as they
1There is a lengthy explanation of the difference between lithium and lithium-ion batters, but the short version is that lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable and lithium batteries are single-use (not rechargeable).

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