Building practical protection: Firechief Global on lithium-ion battery fire risks
Iain Hoey
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Laurie Pollard, Managing Director at Firechief Global, explains the unique risks of lithium-ion batteries, the company’s safety range and the role of training, testing and awareness
The rise of lithium-ion batteries in everything from consumer devices to large-scale energy storage has brought new fire safety challenges that traditional methods cannot fully address.
Firechief Global has developed a dedicated range of solutions to tackle these risks, focusing on practical, need-based equipment across professional and domestic settings.
Drawing on its established position in fire safety, the company is well placed to show how stakeholders at every stage of the battery supply chain can strengthen protection against this emerging threat.
To begin, could you introduce yourself and your role at Firechief Global?
I’m Laurie Pollard, and I have the privilege of leading the team at Firechief® Global as Managing Director.
My role spans many activities, but it all comes back to one purpose: making the world a safer place from fire.
Every day is different, and working with such a passionate, values-driven team makes it really enjoyable.
Why do lithium-ion batteries pose different fire risks compared with traditional fires, and what challenges do they create for responders?
As you say, lithium-ion batteries are everywhere, in phones, laptops, scooters and power tools.
While they’ve helped transform daily life, they bring unique fire risks.
Unlike a typical fire, lithium-ion battery fires are driven by a chemical reaction inside the battery.
Once that reaction starts, called thermal runaway, the fire becomes self-sustaining, and cooling it or cutting off oxygen won’t stop it.
That’s what makes these fires so dangerous.
They release toxic gases, escalate quickly, and can reignite hours later.
Standard firefighting methods often fall short, which is why specialist equipment and training are essential.
Lithium-ion batteries are a fire risk across the supply chain.
It’s a growing challenge, and one we’re fully focused on.
What drove Firechief to build a lithium-ion safety range, and how did you prioritise which risks to address first?
Great question, and for us, it comes down to a core belief: if there’s a gap in fire safety, we step up to close it.
As lithium-ion batteries became more common, we saw the risks rising, but the tools and training weren’t keeping up.
Standard extinguishers simply weren’t effective, and people didn’t know how to respond.
So, we acted.
We spoke with frontline teams, studied the data, and focused on the environments with the highest risks: places where people live, work, and travel.
That led to developing our dedicated lithium-ion battery safety range, from Lith-Ex extinguishers to blankets and suppression kits.
And it’s not just about products, it’s about knowledge.
That’s why we have our 10-Step Battery Safety Plan and CPD-accredited training.
Products are only part of the solution; awareness and understanding provide the rest.
Let’s start with your suppression kits: how do they work, and in what kind of situations would they typically be deployed?
Our suppression kits were developed to provide a solution for fire risks from small battery-powered devices.
They do three things: contain heat, isolate the threat, and reduce the risk of re-ignition after a fire.
Our kits are centred around a fire-resistant bag for the device to be placed in, with some of our kits including a Lith-Ex extinguisher, in case the device catches fire before you get it into the bag.
They’re used in locations where small devices are commonly found, such as warehouses, schools, and offices.
It’s about being prepared before the worst happens.
What distinguishes your lithium-ion fire blanket from a standard blanket, and where is it most useful in daily practice?
Yes, and it’s a really important distinction.
At a glance, lithium-ion fire blankets look like standard ones, but they’re built for a very different kind of fire.
Normal fire blankets smother flames by cutting off oxygen, extinguishing the fire.
With lithium-ion batteries, the fire comes from a chemical reaction inside the battery, and it burns much hotter and longer, making a normal fire blanket ineffective.
That’s why our LithShield™ battery fire blankets are made from a range of high-performance materials that can withstand the high temperatures of a lithium-ion battery fire.
The minimum performance temperature is 1200°C, and they help slow thermal runaway, contain the risk of fire spread from projectiles ejected from the battery, and reduce the exposure to toxic gases produced by these fires.
They come in all sizes, so you’ll see them in EV workshops, warehouses, public buildings, and homes where batteries are charged or stored.
It’s one of those products you hope you never need, but when you do, it can make all the difference.
How do fire-resistant containers improve safe storage and transport of lithium-ion batteries in workplaces and consumer environments?
Fire-resistant containers might not exactly grab headlines, but they play a vital role in lithium-ion battery safety.
We introduced them because damaged or suspect batteries are often treated as safe when they’re really not.
When something goes wrong, it goes wrong fast.
These containers provide a secure way to store or transport risky batteries, keeping people and property protected.
They’re built to handle extreme heat, contain toxic gases, and can be combined with PyroFlow™ granules to help suppress any fire internally.
How do Pyroflow™ suppression granules operate during incidents, and what environments are they best suited to support safety?
The suppression granules, PyroFlow™, are a simple but powerful bit of kit.
When a lithium-ion battery fire breaks out, speed matters.
These granules can be poured over or around the device to absorb heat, smother flames, and isolate the battery, breaking the chain reaction.
Pyroflow comes in 2 granule sizes.
Pyroflow Passive has larger granules and is effective as a packing solution for storing and transporting batteries.
Pyroflow Active has smaller granules, which makes it more relevant for firefighting, acting immediately to contain a fire.
Recent testing we’ve done also shows that Pyroflow Active changes the gas release process when used on a battery fire, reducing the spread of toxic gases.
There’s no activation needed, and because they’re non-toxic and easy to use, anyone trained can deploy them.
That makes them ideal for workplaces where batteries are used, but fire specialists aren’t always nearby.
We’ve seen them used in workshops, data centres, and transport hubs, and they’re increasingly being built into custom solutions we’re developing for specific risk applications.
How do you ensure the lithium-ion safety range is independently tested and aligned with recognised benchmarks for reliability?
When it comes to any kind of fire safety, testing isn’t just a formality.
It’s about trust.
At Firechief® Global, we’ve always believed our products should prove themselves, not just in theory, but in real-world conditions.
That’s why third-party testing is built into our process from the start.
With lithium-ion risks, this has been challenging because, in many cases, the standards haven’t caught up with the technology yet, but we don’t wait around.
We’ve worked with test houses like KIWA to simulate real fire scenarios, testing for heat resistance, containment, and durability.
If we can’t prove it works independently and transparently, we won’t put it on the market.
Simple as that.
How important is education and training alongside equipment in managing lithium-ion battery fire risks?
Honestly, training is just as important as the equipment, if not more so.
You can have the best solution in the world, but if the person who’s supposed to use it isn’t confident or doesn’t understand the risk, it won’t make the difference it should in a fire situation.
That’s why we launched the Firechief® Academy, to close that gap between awareness and understanding.
And as we proved at our recent ‘Powering the Future’ conference, there’s a huge number of stakeholders across legal, government, insurance, industry and consumers that are urgent to work together to increase awareness and understanding of this risk.
We’re honoured to be able to bring them together for meaningful conversations.
Through CPD-accredited training, webinars and guides, we help everyone, from facilities teams to homeowners, make smart, fast decisions when it counts.
And we’re only just getting started – there’s always a need for more education in fire safety.
Know the risk. Manage the risk. Be ready for the worst. That’s our goal.
Looking ahead, where do you see the greatest need for improved protection, and how is Firechief preparing to meet it?
We’re still at the early stages of the lithium-ion journey.
As the technology becomes more embedded in daily life, the fire safety risks grow alongside that.
We’re seeing this already with the disposal of used batteries, which is fast becoming a serious issue for the waste and recycling industry.
Electric vehicles, home energy storage, warehouse-scale battery banks… they’re incredible innovations, but they also bring new complexities when it comes to safety.
You’ve suddenly got high-energy systems being installed in residential areas, or large volumes of batteries concentrated in one part of a building.
That’s not a risk you can manage with a standard extinguisher and a fire exit plan.
The biggest need?
I would say there are three: better consumer awareness, stronger protection for commercial sites, and future-ready legislation to support both.
That’s where we’re focused, constantly looking ahead with new EV-specific products, next-gen suppression tech, and continuing our great relationships with industry bodies and regulators