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Lithium-ion batteries have become nearly invisible in daily life, powering our phones, scooters, laptops, tools, research equipment, electric vehicles, and even large-scale energy storage systems. Yet as their presence expands on college and university campuses, so does the urgency to understand and manage the risks they pose.

In URMIA’s Best of the Annual Conference webinar series, Yale University’s Janitza Matta and Gallagher’s Donna Settle delivered a comprehensive, highly practical session on lithium-ion battery safety, covering everything from battery chemistry and fire behavior to EV charging, micromobility on campus, storage standards, and real-world incidents.

Review the information shared and determine how to use it to sharpen policies, educate stakeholders, and strengthen emergency response planning for your institution.

Why Lithium-Ion Battery Risks Matter More Than Ever

Look around your workplace…how many battery-powered devices are just within your arm’s reach? Scale has changed everything!

Multiply that personal inventory by thousands of students, employees, labs, and residential buildings, and the risk landscape becomes vast. Most of these batteries are small and pose limited danger, but larger, high-capacity batteries (those in scooters, e-bikes, power tools, EVs, and research equipment) introduce a significantly different hazard profile.

The challenge for campuses isn’t whether lithium-ion batteries will be present; they already are, but whether policies, infrastructure, and emergency systems have kept pace.

Lithium-Ion Batteries 101: What’s Inside and Why It Matters

To understand the risks, Settle began by breaking down how lithium-ion batteries are constructed.

Four core components create the power—and the risk

A lithium-ion cell contains:

1. Cathode
2. Anode
3. Separator
4. Electrolyte (a flammable liquid)

As the battery charges or discharges, lithium ions shuttle between the anode and cathode. If the separator fails or the cell is damaged, the internal chemical reaction can accelerate uncontrollably, a process known as thermal runaway. This is a chemical reaction, not an oxygen‑driven fire, which is why smothering or oxygen‑exclusion devices do not stop it.

Battery chemistries vary—and so do their risks

New chemistries continue to emerge, but two dominate campus risk conversations:

• NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt)
• High energy density → higher fire risk
• LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate)
• More stable → lower fire risk
• Common in stationary storage systems (BESS)

What campuses must remember: a wide range of chemistries is already present across devices, and not all are clearly labeled or equally stable.

Where Lithium-Ion Batteries Live on Campus

Settle noted that batteries appear across three scale categories:

• Consumer device batteries, such as those found in phones, laptops, tablets, and watches, have small batteries that are typically safer and easier to manage in an upset condition.
• Power batteries used in e-bikes, scooters, drones, power tools, robots, and EVs, have a larger capacity, higher discharge rates, and a significantly higher fire risk.
• Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), the container-sized installations supporting campus infrastructure, require specialized protection, ventilation, and emergency planning.

Best Practices for Everyday Battery Use

Even small batteries can fail when mishandled. Settle outlined key safety practices:

• Avoid extreme temperatures—both heat and cold stress batteries.
• Don’t deeply discharge; recharge before battery levels drop too low.
• Keep contacts clean and free of corrosion.
• Stop using the device immediately if it smells odd, feels hot, bulges, or performs erratically.
• Only use manufacturer-approved chargers.
• Don’t charge when you’re asleep or away from the device.

These basics alone can prevent many incidents.

What the 2024 International Fire Code (IFC) Says

The 2024 IFC introduced new provisions for micromobility devices and residential occupancies:

• Charging, repairing, or storing micromobility devices inside multifamily residential buildings is prohibited unless strict criteria are met.
• No commercial charging operations in residential spaces (e.g., students renting or repairing e-bikes in student housing).
• Charging areas must:
• Have fire-rated floors, walls, ceilings, and doors
• Use listed equipment only
• Maintain 18” spacing between charging units
• Be free of combustibles
• Be sprinklered and alarmed
• Never block egress routes
• Blocking an exit or egress pathway with a charging electric scooter or e-bike creates an unacceptable life safety risk.

Real-World Example: Yale University’s Dorm Fire

Matta shared an incident that happened on Yale University’s campus.

What happened

• An electric skateboard - not plugged in or charging - spontaneously ignited while its owner was out of the room doing laundry.
• A single sprinkler activated, containing the fire.
• Water damage spread from the 4th floor down to lower levels, which required the relocation of some students due to significant drying, cleaning, and reconstruction.

Key lessons:

• Sprinklers save lives, but the water goes everywhere.
• Batteries can ignite without warning, even when idle.

The subrogation challenge

Although Yale preserved the device, the battery had to be disposed of within regulatory timelines. Without the physical evidence, the legal opinion obtained by the subrogation adjuster noted that the subrogation claim against the skateboard company could not be substantiated.

Matta summarized the university’s stance on student property:

• The undergraduate regulations state the university is not responsible for loss of, or damage to, any personal belongings.
• Students are referred to a student personal property program if they desire coverage.

Why Micromobility Devices Pose Higher Risks Than Phones and Laptops

Webinar audience members asked, If we allow phones and laptops everywhere, why restrict e-bikes and scooters? The answer was that the following factors amplify risk, dramatically:

• Higher energy density, which equals more stored energy, leads to more violent failures.
• Higher discharge currents, as these devices are designed for movement, torque, and power. When a high-current battery fails, it releases a much larger amount of energy, often explosively, compared with small consumer batteries.
• More abuse, whether intentional or incidental. Scooters and bikes experience vibration, impacts, weather exposure, poor aftermarket chargers, and do-it-yourself repairs.
• Charging often occurs in unsafe locations. Many students charge them in bedrooms, in hallways, near exits, overnight, and/or near combustibles.

Micromobility Management: Dos, Don’ts, and Practical Policies

Do:

• Create designated outdoor parking/charging areas
• Consider permitting programs for approved devices
• Require UL-listed devices and chargers
• Educate students on safety annually
• Use vendors for rental scooter and bike fleets to avoid personal devices indoors

Don’t:

• Allow charging in residence halls
• Allow devices to block hallways or exits
• Allow mass charging operations anywhere on campus
• Permit charging in labs or near hazardous materials
• Install charging stations inside garages without the required protection and ventilation systems, and strong justification

Emergency Response: What to Do When a Battery Fails

Because lithium-ion battery fires emit toxic vapors, take these critical steps:

• Call 911 immediately
• Evacuate quickly—never attempt to be a hero
• Establish a 300-foot (100-yard) perimeter
• Move uphill and upwind from any smoke plume or runoff water
• Do not re-enter until professional remediation teams declare the building safe

Hydrogen fluoride gas and other combustion byproducts pose both immediate and long-term health dangers. Only trained firefighters with turnout gear and SCBA should attempt suppression.

Final Takeaways and Policy Recommendations

Here are some core recommendations campuses should adopt:

• Prohibit micromobility devices inside residential buildings.
• Avoid installing EV chargers inside parking garages.
• Store spare batteries in non-combustible containers, away from exit pathways.
• Ensure smoke and fire control dampers are automatic, not manual.
• Strengthen emergency response plans and pre-fire planning.
• Educate all stakeholders: students, faculty, facilities, security, and first responders.

If your campus hasn’t reviewed its battery policies, building codes, or emergency plans, now is the time to begin. Know the safe way to interact with these devices, and have a plan before something goes wrong.

Missed the webinar live? URMIA members can listen to the recording through the URMIA Library. Invite some colleagues for a brown-bag lunch and enjoy the learning opportunity, and then review/update your institution’s current plan together. The speakers also took the time to answer questions they didn’t have time to respond to on the webinar. URMIA members can find those questions and responses in the URMIA Library.

AI assisted with the summarization of the webinar, followed by human reviews of the summary prior to publication.

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