In its effort to help ensure firefighters’ safety when handling lithium-ion batteries in a variety of situations and scenarios, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has announced the theme for this year’s Safety Stand Down campaign, to be held June 18-24, 2023: “Lithium-Ion Batteries: Are You Ready?”

Safety resources will be available on www.safetystanddown.org, and will cover topics relating to lithium-ion battery response and safety in five daily focus areas: recognition of hazards, firefighting operations, firefighter safety, post-incident considerations, and public education.

Safety Stand Down is a joint initiative of NFPA, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), Safety Health and Survival Section, the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), and the Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA). The mission of the campaign is to reduce the number of preventable injuries and deaths in the fire and emergency services. Responder agencies are encouraged to suspend all non-emergency activities during the campaign week, held annually in the third week of June, to focus on training and education related to lithium-ion battery safety awareness and education.

Access more information in NFPA’s press release.