The New York fire department has decided to take citizen concerns about lithium-battery charging-safety even more seriously. Although to be honest we were surprised to hear they previously considered a 72-hour response time adequate. But at the same time we were gratified to learn they are now clamping down on serial battery offenders.
New York Mayor Warns Serial Battery Offenders
Mayor Eric Adams visited the mixed-use building in Chinatown, the day after a fire in a battery-charging facility killed four people. He told the group of media representatives waiting for him that his patience had finally run dry.
From henceforth the acceptable response time would be 12 hours, he promised, and serial battery offenders would face the long arm of the law. Then mayor Eric Adams toured the charred aftermath of the deadly fire. Its victims included a 71 year old man and a 62-year old woman, who died when a lithium battery fire got out of control at an e-bike store.
We wondered as we read the news report, whether somebody had already phoned 911 previously about that particular store. This is a sad day for batteries when they are high up on a 911 emergency list.
Perhaps Some Good Will Come From This After All
The New York Major promised that from now on reports regarding questionable battery- charging activities would receive higher priority. We need real action,” he promised. “Every call will be addressed quickly, and violations will result in enforcement.”
Apparently the fire department inspected the same shop during 2022, and noted groups of batteries being charged together, and extension cords all over the floor. “Many people using refurbished batteries are from low-income areas, and they use the batteries as part of their vital services,” the mayor continued.
We don’t want to hamper delivery workers and other people who use e-bikes for work, he explained. Therefore, our focus will be on correcting unsafe practices. However, he vowed the city would ‘shut down’ serial battery offenders, who ignored the city’s laws.
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