Suffolk Bill To Prohibit Sale Of After-Market Lithium-Ion Batteries To Prevent Fires

PATCHOGUE, NY — Suffolk lawmakers will be voting in Hauppauge on Tuesday to consider making the sale of after-market lithium-ion batteries in the county illegal.

The legislation aims to avoid similar deadly fires that have resulted from the batteries overheating in other municipalities, said Legis. Dominick Thorne, chair of the county's public safety committee.

It will "permanently outlaw" any aftermarket battery that has not been UL tested or tested by another accredited laboratory from being sold in this county.

This year, New York City logged 18 deaths and 238 fires from after market lithium ion batteries, Thorne says.

Thorne noted how Fire Department of New York Commissioner Laura Kavanagh has spoken out about the untested batteries and charging them in a house, saying that it is difficult to put them out with water, which presents a different kind of fire for firefighters to battle.

New York City banned the use of the batteries last year Patch previously reported.

The batteries can be used in myriad electrical devices, but the primary devices that officials are seeing problems with are those used in electric scooters and mobility devices, Thorne said.

"That's where the fire is coming from right now," he said. "But really any aftermarket battery that has not received some kind of testing, and certification is very dangerous. And it actually is literally killing people in our state."

"We're trying to close the door before it kills somebody in our county," he added.

The problem evolves from the batteries not ceasing to accept a charge like the regulated ones.

"They heat up, and heat up, and heat up until they explode, killing people," Thorne said.

Adding another tool to the toolbox, lawmakers just increased the county's fire academy's budget by $125,000 to teach firefighters how to fight them. The county's Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services division is also conducting public education classes about the dangers of the batteries.

The legislation has bipartisan support, and both the Democrats and the Republicans in the legislature are "happy to move forward with it," Thorne said.