This year, Fire Prevention Week will be from Sunday October 4th through Saturday October 10th. In Ontario we will be using special event call sign VE3FIRE, operating as a Wild Card station, and in the US there will be stations using the call signs N0F through N9F along with KF2IRE, another Wild Card station. All twelve stations are working to highlight fire safety regarding the charging of lithium-ion batteries during Fire Prevention Week.
This event is not a contest. As we make contact with hams worldwide, this is more of a public service event where we will be giving tips to our contacts about the possible hazards inherent in overcharging lithium-ion batteries and tips on how to use and charge these batteries safely.
While this event is not a contest, a downloadable printed certificate will be available for those who work ten or more of the twelve stations. More about getting the certificate is available on the hamfire.com information site and QSL information is available on the VE3FIRE QRZ page.
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Whenever anyone has a chance take a look at W7UUU QRZ page and see the damage that can be caused not being prepared and using cheap products for your Ham Shack.
@wz7x OMG it turned my stomach! What a gorgeous shack! Then I seen a beautiful drone shot from above, then I see the rest of the images and I feel sick. What a loss. 🙁
All of my equipment runs off battery. I make it a habit to charge away from my house and in an area of the shop where it’s easy to access. I also keep other combustibles clear. I’ll add that I am there and near when charging. Might seem like overkill but too many garage fires from e-bikes, drones, etc. Will Prowse on YouTube does a great job in testing batteries. He disassembles many of them. Definitely a source to use when researching batteries. 73
I need to do more research on battery storage & care. I keep mine in the shack in the HVAC and only charge it while I am in or near the shack. I’ve seen ads for those battery bags that help prevent a fire from spreading. Anybody have one of those?
I have never seen one of the bags in person. We respond to these types of fires occasionally. One that really comes to mind is a gentleman that raced RC cars and flew model planes. He was charging a battery that according to him was just used and removed from a car. He was in the front yard with the garage open. He described it looking similar to a Roman candle. Well he was able to garden hose the fire but it still did significant damage to the garage and the car in the garage. Very small battery but intense heat.
@WA5AZQ Batteries can be a serious investment and risk. Trust is needed with all the companies that pop up out of nowhere (some with great branding and marketing). I agree about Will’s channel. Most autistic people give a lot of attention to all the little details and follow strict patterns. This gives us repetition & consistency – thus reliable and trustworthy. All tech reviews should be done by someone on the spectrum.
@k5tmw I seen one ignite, once in my life. It reminded me of the sulfur burns, very difficult to extinguish.
I had back up for my saltwater tank and it ignited it was nasty the smoke and the flames,thank goodness we have tile floors. I grabbed a shovel picked it up and tossed it outside those things are super dangerous!
Generated perfectly. https://url.w8jae.com/cefa33
Scary stuff!!
Whether Lead/Acid or LiFePO4, all batteries carry risks. Watch out on ’em, take care of them; DON’T take them for granted!