Effectiveness of lithium fire blankets to cover PMD battery compartments as a fire safety measure

Question:

Mr Ng Shi Xuan: To ask the Senior Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs whether the Ministry has conducted any studies on the effectiveness of adopting lithium fire blankets to cover Personal Mobility Devices (PMD) battery compartments to ensure safe charging of PMD batteries.

Answer:

Mr K Shanmugam, Senior Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs:

1. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) have conducted burn tests and research on the effectiveness of fire blankets in limiting the fire spread for Active Mobility Device (AMD) fires, which tend to burn more intensely due to thermal runaway and may result in more severe consequences, if not promptly contained.

2. Preliminary results suggest that fire blankets that are certified to the DIN SPEC 91489 standard are effective in containing AMD fires, potentially providing occupants with more time to evacuate safely. However, if one covers the AMD with a fire blanket while charging, it might also result in an unnecessary build-up of heat and may cause the temperature of the battery to rise faster. As such, more rigorous tests across a broader range of scenarios are required to fully understand the implications of using a fire blanket on a charging AMD.

3. As there are different variants of fire blankets in the market, it is important to ensure that a fire blanket is certified to the appropriate international standard for fire resistance prior to purchasing one. The SCDF advises Personal Mobility Device and other AMD users to only use devices certified to the safety standards mandated by the Land Transport Authority, and to practise safe charging and storage habits.