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Fire chief warns of growing lithium‑ion battery fire risks; department outlines training, hazmat response and recruit class
Summary
Spokane Fire Department described challenges from lithium‑ion battery and EV fires, praised recent operational responses to a warehouse incident, and reported a new recruit academy intake and steady EMS workload. The chief urged public education on charging, disposal and storage.
Chief O'Byrd told the Public Safety Committee that Spokane Fire Department crews are confronting a statewide and national rise in fires tied to lithium‑ion batteries and energy storage systems (ESS). The chief described the risk of thermal runaway — a rapid, self‑sustaining overheating event in damaged or improperly charged lithium batteries — and said such fires present intensified heat, fire spread and toxic smoke byproducts.
The department described recent operational experience: a warehouse fire several days earlier that involved lithium‑ion products, where wind patterns helped limit the need for large evacuations but smoke toxicity displaced one homeowner, three adults and a dog for a short time. Chief O'Byrd credited the department’s hazmat and operations teams, and Avista, for containment and mitigation steps, including digging dikes and checking storm drains for runoff the next day.
O'Byrd explained specialized tactics and equipment used for EV and lithium‑ion incidents, including EV blankets carried on some units and revised run cards with different resource assignments when an Electric Vehicle (EV) is known or suspected. He described continuing after‑action reviews and legislative engagement focused on battery recycling, safe disposal and a push for stronger manufacturing standards (UL or equivalent certification).
Staffing and training updates: the department started a recruit academy with 16 new recruits; the academy runs 16 weeks for all recruits with an additional roughly five weeks for those who still need EMT certification. The chief said calls for fire and EMS have increased slightly year‑over‑year and that the department is continuing to refine reporting, especially around overdose locations (which, for the reporting period shown, were almost evenly split between homes and street/public locations).
Council members asked about vehicle stability and the recent incident in which an apparatus slid into a home; O'Byrd said that investigation is ongoing but confirmed an engine that followed the initial truck was returned to service after repairs while the truck that struck the house may be totaled pending repair estimates. He said the department is evaluating whether different deployment models for low‑acuity calls are appropriate and noted that the city already uses smaller ARU units for some lower‑acuity responses.
The chief also reported on nurse navigation (telehealth nurse triage) tied to the AMR contract: nurse navigation is diverting some calls and the department aims to increase diversions, but mobility issues and a lack of after‑hours clinic capacity mean some calls are returned to 911 dispatch and re‑dispatched with both ambulance and fire resources. O'Byrd said he will bring an updated nurse navigation report to the committee next month.
