News 12 sits with FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh to talk fire safety ahead of the holidays
Kavanaugh urges New Yorkers to avoid buying products that use lithium-ion batteries, and if they do to not purchased uncertified models.
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Christmas season means gifts will be under the tree, including new gadgets and devices. But are those gadgets safe?
Some of those gadgets may contain lithium-ion batteries, which the FDNY says have been the deadliest they’ve ever been this year – causing 258 fires and killing 18 New Yorkers.
"If you have a working smoke detector, if you have a plan for getting out of your home, you usually can get out and the first responders can get in,” said Kavanaugh. “In the case of lithium ion battery fires that is very often not true.”
The FDNY commissioner says that many toys or modes of transportation that are given as gifts, such as e-bikes, have these potentially dangerous batteries.
Kavanaugh urges New Yorkers to avoid buying products that use lithium-ion batteries, and if they do to not purchased uncertified models. She also urges to keep them outside or in a remote part of your home.
"If it's dented, if there is an odd odor, if there's anything unusual about it that makes as we talked about even a certified device can be dangerous once it's damaged,” said Kavanaugh.
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