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02
Mar
Increase in e-bike blazes? North Yorkshire fire chiefs speak
The number of fires involving electric bikes and scooters has doubled recently in urban parts of North Yorkshire, a senior fire officer has said.
Jo Coles, the Labour deputy mayor for policing, fire and crime, told senior fire officers during her latest online public meeting on Thursday the issue of e-bike and e-scooter fires had been raised numerous times lately.
She asked whether incidents had actually increased or whether the claims of an increase were anecdotal.
Area manager Tom Hirst, director of community risk and resourcing at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said urban parts of the county were “seeing up to double the amount (of incidents) over the last two or three years”.
He said such incidents were categorised as PLEVs, which stands for personal light electric vehicles.
Chief fire officer Jonathan Dyson said fire services weren’t currently required to provide data on these kinds of incidents to government but that was expected to change in April “because of the increase that we have seen so we will have a much more data-rich picture nationally to inform actions”.
Mr Dyson added:
Most of the fires are in post-market conversions, i.e. people buying them online and then doing them themselves. Unfortunately, most of those fires occur in flats and maisonettes and there is a shared risk in those properties just in line with what we said for Grenfell because then you’re in a shared building and shared access and egress. People need to remember the safety of others as well as themselves.
Ms Coles added:
It feels like it’s one of those areas of technology that has moved really quickly and it often takes regulations a while to catch up. In the meantime we need to – which it sounds like the service is doing – do everything we can to ensure people are being kept as safe as possible.
Do's and Don'ts
Mr Hirst said a forthcoming fire safety booklet in North Yorkshire would include advice on e-bikes and scooters.
He urged people to “first and foremost buy from a reputable supplier or retailer” and also advised:
- Ensure items are well maintained and serviced.
- Use manufacturer-approved charging devices and always check them for wear and tear.
- Ensure you don’t charge items near combustible or flammable materials.
- Don’t charge items in escape routes.
- Make sure you charge items when you’re awake.
- Turn off your charger when you’re not using it.
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