Northern Medina County fire departments becoming drop-off locations for lithium-ion batteries to encourage fire prevention

Northern Medina County fire departments are now partnering with the Medina County Solid Waste District to collect lithium-ion batteries as a way to prevent fires. The Medina County Solid Waste District has been accepting lithium-ion batteries at its facility in Seville for years now, coordinator Barbara Walton said. The new program began after Brunswick Fire Chief Greg Glauner reached out regarding safely disposing batteries. "Since I've been in Brunswick, we've had a number of fires caused by lithium batteries," Glauner said. "Nationwide, it's become an issue." For instance, Brunswick Hills Fire Chief Anthony Strazzo said around 2:45 a.m. Tuesday, there was an incident in the township where a battery that was being recharged was smoking inside a residence. There were no injuries or significant property damage in this instance. "Everything was done correctly, but the battery started thermal runaway," he said. "Inside any of those rechargeables are what looks like a C or AA size battery, and they tape them together. Once one fails, it starts to run away where they all start down the line, and you need copious amounts of water and time for those batteries to cool down." Rumpke Waste & Recycling said fires have started because lithium-ion batteries were improperly placed in trash and recycling. "A lot of trash trucks and a lot of trash haulers and dump sites have a risk of that because of the quantity and compression of these batteries when they compact the trash," Valley City Fire Chief Andy Baillis said. "That's one of the ways that these batteries will start to catch on fire, but (haulers) are trained and have protocols in place to make sure that those are handled appropriately. The community may never hear about them, but they do happen frequently." Lithium-ion batteries can be found in electronics, small appliances, power tools, portable devices, e-bikes, toys and vapes. Walton said alkaline batteries are not hazardous and can safely be thrown away. Fire departments in Brunswick, Brunswick Hills, Hinckley, Valley City and the Medina County Emergency Management Agency are now drop-off locations for lithium-ion batteries. Batteries can also still be dropped off at the solid waste district facility at 8730 Lake Road in Seville on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 7 a.m. to noon. "It's a worthwhile program," Hinckley Fire Chief Matt Payne said. "It's a safe and green way to dispose of batteries." In Brunswick Hills there will be a green bucket to dispose of the batteries on the steps of station No. 1 and by the front door of station No. 2, Strazzo said. The bucket is intended for smaller batteries rather than large ones like car batteries. "Inside the bucket, there's a roll of tape," he said. "What the solid waste district asks is that you place a piece of tape over the battery terminals, so that while they're in the bucket those terminals do not touch and cause a fire hazard. Then you simply place the battery and tape back in the bucket, put the lid back on, and then we will take the batteries to the solid waste district for recycling." Batteries can also be disposed of by doing the following: In Brunswick, go to the front door of either fire station and let someone know you have batteries to dispose of. For the EMA, call (330) 722-9240 ahead of time and drop off batteries at the agency's building at 5834 Heather Hedge Drive in Chippewa Lake. In Hinckley, dispose of batteries in the green bucket, which will likely be near the Aluminum Cans for Burned Children receptacle by the fire station, and tape the battery terminals. The program in Hinckley will likely start around a week from now. In Valley City, drop off batteries to a person at the fire house, and the best hours to do so are generally between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. The program ties into this year's theme for fire prevention week, which is "Charge into Fire Safety: Lithium-Ion Batteries in Your Home," Strazzo said. Fire prevention week is Oct. 5-11, and the Brunswick Hills Fire Department will be posting information regarding batteries and safely recharging devices. "If you're going to charge things, charge them when you're awake, not at night," he said. "Charge them and have them on a hard surface, not something that could catch fire. I always tell people to have an operating smoke detector in your house. That's the best way to protect your family." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.