“We're trying to close the door before someone dies in the county.” – Regis.Dominic Thorne, Suffolk County Public Safety Commissioner
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PACHUGUE, N.Y. — Suffolk state lawmakers are scheduled to vote Tuesday in Hauppauge to consider making it illegal to sell aftermarket lithium-ion batteries in the county.
Regis said the law's purpose is to prevent similar deadly fires caused by overheating batteries in other municipalities. Dominic Thorne, chairman of the County Public Safety Commission.
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This would “permanently prohibit” the sale of aftermarket batteries in the county that have not been UL tested or tested by another accredited laboratory.
Thorne said commercial lithium-ion batteries have caused 18 deaths and 238 fires in New York City this year.
Thorne pointed to how New York City Fire Department Chief Laura Kavanaugh has spoken out about untested batteries and charging inside homes, saying they are difficult to extinguish with water and are difficult for firefighters to put out. He said a different type of fire will occur.
New York City banned batteries last year, Patch previously reported.
Batteries can be used in a myriad of electrical devices, but the main devices authorities have problems with are used in electric scooters and mobility devices, Thorne said.
“There's fire coming out of it right now,” he said. “But the reality is that aftermarket batteries that don't have some kind of testing or certification are extremely dangerous. And in fact, it's literally killing people in our state.”
“We're trying to close the doors before someone dies in the county,” he added.
This issue occurs because the battery no longer accepts charge as well as regulated batteries.
“They heat, heat, heat some more, explode and kill people,” Thorne said.
Adding another tool to the toolbox, lawmakers increased the county's fire academy budget by $125,000 to teach firefighters how to fight firefights. The county's Fire, Rescue and Emergency Department also conducts public education classes about the dangers of batteries.
The bill has bipartisan support, and both Democrats and Republicans in Congress are “happy to move it forward,” Thorne said.