Gainesville Fire-Rescue partners with NFPA on battery-charging safety for Fire Prevention Week
The city's plans for the Oct. 4–10 observance also included fire-safety programs at three elementary schools and free family events at the Gainesville Farmers Market.
Gainesville Fire-Rescue announced Sept. 29 that it would partner with the National Fire Protection Association to promote safe charging of lithium-ion batteries during Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 4–10. The city's announcement also set out programs at three elementary schools and free family events at the Gainesville Farmers Market.
The Flame-Out Clowns were scheduled to bring fire-safety programs to St. Mary's, Edison and Chalmers elementary schools during the week, according to the announcement. For National Night Out on Oct. 6, the city planned free fire-engine tours and a chance to meet firefighters at the market from 6 to 8 p.m. That evening's schedule also listed a new physical-agility course for children ages 2 to 12. On Depot Day, Oct. 10, the market was set to host a free escape drill in a simulated smoke house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The city treats October as a month of added emphasis for prevention work that runs all year. Its fire-prevention page lists school visits, station tours, extinguisher training and community events as part of that work.
The battery message is not new here. The city's news archive shows a Sept. 29, 2025, Fire Prevention Week release that warned residents about lithium-ion batteries in phones and power tools.
Federal safety regulators have flagged the hazard as well. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a 2024 release that it had received more than 150 reports of fires or heat-related incidents tied to universal chargers for micromobility devices between January 2023 and mid-May 2024. Some of those cases involved serious injuries or property damage, the agency said.
reports of fires or thermal incidents involving universal chargers for micromobility devices
Received by the CPSC between Jan. 1, 2023, and May 16, 2024; some involved serious injuries or property damage.
NFPA's 2026 tip sheet advises owners to use a charger the manufacturer approves and to charge on a hard, flat surface. It also tells them to unplug a device once it is full. When possible, the association suggests charging larger battery-powered equipment outdoors, as long as the setup leaves exits clear. The Texas State Fire Marshal's Office took up the same subject in October and told residents to charge devices on hard, stable surfaces, not on beds or couches.
NFPA says it has observed Fire Prevention Week since 1922, and that President Calvin Coolidge made it a national observance in 1925. Closer to home, Denton's Clowns on Fire program dates to 1998, according to that city. Its firefighters take safety skits of about half an hour to elementary schools in and around Denton through October.
An NFPA analysis of U.S. home fires from 2018 through 2022 found that nearly six in 10 home-fire deaths happened where smoke alarms were missing or did not work. Sherman offers free smoke alarms that its firefighters install, and its published program adds carbon monoxide detectors. In Gainesville, firefighters install free smoke alarms or replacement batteries for qualifying city residents, according to the city's community-programs page. To qualify, residents must own and live in their homes and be elderly, have a disability or live on a fixed income.
of U.S. home-fire deaths in 2018–2022 occurred in properties with no smoke alarms or alarms that failed to operate
Deaths per 1,000 reported home fires were approximately 60% lower when smoke alarms worked.
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