Oak Lawn proclaims Fire Prevention Week focused on lithium-ion battery safety; trustees highlight police drone response

Village President read a mayoral proclamation at the Oct. 14 meeting designating Oct. 5–11, 2025, as Fire Prevention Week in Oak Lawn and urging residents to safely charge and recycle lithium-ion batteries to reduce fire risk.

The proclamation cites Section 6(a), Article VII of the Illinois Constitution of 1970 to note the village's home-rule authority and highlights rising battery-related fires and the National Fire Protection Association's reporting on the issue. The proclamation called on residents to "charge batteries safely, recycle them responsibly" and warned that misuse, damage or improper charging of lithium-ion batteries can cause overheating, fire or explosion.

Trustees and the Village President also discussed recent police work during trustee remarks. Trustee Stalker complimented the police department for a rapid response following a neighborhood incident. The Village President said that response was the first opportunity to use the village's AI drone and that the drone was "hovering over the scene even before the police cars could get there." The remarks credited the drone with providing situational awareness in under a minute.

The proclamation and remarks were presented as informational items; no binding policy or budget action to expand drone use or launch a battery-focused public-education campaign was recorded during the meeting.

Ending

The board recognized fire prevention and public-safety capabilities and moved on to the consent agenda; any future changes to policy, procurement or public-education campaigns would require separate board action.