NFRS 2023 117 - Lithium battery fires

You asked for

Dear Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue, I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request the following information from Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue.

Please may you provide me with the following data:

1. Number of lithium battery fires attended over the last 5 years (please include data for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, so far in 2024) 
   1. Of these how many were the result of an e-bike? (please include data for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, so far in 2024)
   2. Of these how many were the result of an e-scooter? (please include dataf or 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, so far in 2024) 
2. Number of people who have died in a fire involving a lithium battery over the last 5 years? (please include data for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, so far in 2024)
   1. Of these how many were the result of an e-bike? (please include data for2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, so far in 2024)
   2. Of these how many were the result of an e-scooter? (please include data for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, so far in 2024) 
3. Number of people seriously injured in a fire involving a lithium battery over the last 5 years? (please include data for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, so far in 2024)
   1. Of these how many were the result of an e-bike? (please include data for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, so far in 2024)
   2. Of these how many were the result of an e-scooter? (please include dataf or 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, so far in 2024) 

Please feel free to provide the information in the body of an email or as an attached Excel/Word document spreadsheet or pdf. If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section 12, please provide advice and assistance, under the Section 16 obligations of the Act, as to how I can refine my request. If you can identify any ways that my request could be refined, I would be grateful for any further advice and assistance.

Our Response

1. Number of lithium battery fires attended over the last 5 years (please include data for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, so far in 2024)
   Answer: - Please note that there is no method of recording lithium batteries on the form other than in freetext entries and comments, hence there may be incidents that cannotbe identified. 
   • 2019: 1
   • 2020: 3
   • 2021: 8
   • 2022: 9
   • 2023: 22
   • 2024: 1 (up to 07/02/2024)
     1. Of these how many were the result of an e-bike? (please include data for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, so far in 2024) 
        Answer: -
        • 2019: 0
        • 2020: 0
        • 2021: 1
        • 2022: 1
        • 2023: 2
        • 2024: 0 (up to 07/02/2024)
     2. Of these how many were the result of an e-scooter? (please include data for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, so far in 2024) 
        Answer: -
        • 2019: 0
        • 2020: 1
        • 2021: 1
        • 2022: 1
        • 2023: 4
        • 2024: 0 (up to 07/02/2024)
2. Number of people who have died in a fire involving a lithium battery over the last 5 years? (please include data for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, so far in 2024)
   Answer: - No Information Held, there have been no fatalities recorded.
   1. Of these how many were the result of an e-bike? (please include data for2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, so far in 2024)
      Answer: - No Information Held, there have been no fatalities recorded.
   2. Of these how many were the result of an e-scooter? (please include data for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, so far in 2024)
      Answer: - No Information Held, there have been no fatalities recorded.
3. Number of people seriously injured in a fire involving a lithium battery over thelast 5 years? (please include data for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, so far in 2024)
   Answer: -
   • 2019: 0
   • 2020: 1
   • 2021: 0
   • 2022: 0
   • 2023: 1
   • 2024: 0 (up to 07/02/2024)
     1. Of these how many were the result of an e-bike? (please include data for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, so far in 2024)
        Answer: - 1 in 2023
     2. b. Of these how many were the result of an e-scooter? (please include data for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, so far in 2024)
        Answer: - No Information Held, no records of an injury as a result of an e-scooter.