Sarnia Fire and Rescue urges safe battery storage

With plenty of battery operated toys opened under the tree this Christmas, Sarnia Fire Rescue Services Education Officer Mike Otis is reminding us of the safe way to store batteries. So far this year, Health Canada has received over 100 reports of batteries overheating or starting fires. Otis advises us to put electrical tape over the ends of spare batteries instead of just tossing them all together in a junk drawer. The best way to store them is in their original package. "And with lithium ion batteries, for e-cigarettes for example, they can be dangerous if you carry them around in your pocket because they can come into contact with keys or loose change, something we have had happen in Sarnia," said Otis. Nine volt batteries should not be thrown out with the trash because if they come in contact with pieces of metal they could trigger a fire. Instead, take them to a collection site for household hazardous waste.