Toronto's fire chief is calling on the federal government to introduce national safety standards for lithium-ion batteries, warning that the products are behind an overwhelming number of the fires his crews are responding to, according to CBC News. Chief Jim Jessop said the current lack of rules has become a serious concern.
For a number of years, Toronto Fire has asked the federal government to strike a committee to look at introducing regulations. Those rules would mandate that the batteries coming into the country and being sold here meet a defined standard, something the chief said is badly needed.
Right now, according to the chief, those batteries do not have to meet any such standard. That gap, he said, means the products reaching consumers are not held to a common safety requirement before they end up in homes and on the streets of the city.
Jessop said these products are the cause of an overwhelming number of the fires that involve lithium-ion batteries. The blazes have become a recurring challenge for firefighters, who are called out to deal with the consequences when the batteries fail or ignite.
The risk is not new. Toronto Fire has been called to incidents in which a battery caught fire, including a case dating back to 2022, and officials have noted that the batteries can be a hazard, including in conditions such as extreme cold.
The renewed call reflects the chief's view that the problem needs to be addressed at the national level, at the point where the batteries enter and are sold in the country. He has argued that mandatory standards are the way to tackle the issue at its source, rather than simply responding to the fires after they start.