Lithium-Ion Batteries

Lithium-Ion batteries’ high energy density (they store more charge per unit weight than other battery types) and ease of charge / discharge mean you will find them in any number of items on a production, from mobile phones to generators, from hand tools to earbuds, laptops and cameras.

However, when Li-ion batteries are damaged, overcharged or overheat, it can lead to thermal runaway. This causes rapid overheating which can quickly transfer to adjacent cells. Batteries can spontaneously ignite, burning at extremely high temperatures and there have already been multiple reported instances of lithium ion battery fires or near misses on production.

As part of your Fire Risk Assessment you need to consider how you are going to manage the risks from these batteries. Prevention is always key, so it may be that you want to stop people from charging e-scooters and e-bikes in your workplace, or even restricting them from being stored at work altogether. And when it comes to charging you might want to consider when and where that’s done. By avoiding leaving batteries and equipment on charge overnight or unsupervised you can potentially reduce the risk. You could achieve that by using other equipment such as smart plugs to control the charging time.

If you want help with your fire risk assessment or more information on managing the risk from Lithium Batteries, please contact our Advice Line team.

AFFF Foam Extinguishers

From July 2025 all Aqueous Film Forming Foam Fire Extinguishers (AFFF Foam) need to be replaced with an environmentally-safe alternative. AFFF foam extinguishers use polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to fight fires which have long been suspected of being harmful to the environment and to living organisms.

PFAS have now been confirmed as toxic compounds which can accumulate in water, food, and air. Evidence has shown that the environmental presence of PFAS is detrimental to ecosystems and to human health. These chemicals were banned back in 2020, but there was an exemption given for firefighting usage – but this exemption runs out in July 2025.

If you’ve been having your Foam extinguishers regularly serviced and refilled, or you have bought a new one over the last few years then it’s likely that your Foam extinguisher no longer contains PFAS. But if you’ve had a foam extinguisher for a while and it’s not been regularly inspected you should speak to your supplier who should be able to help you dispose of it safely before the July deadline.

Automatic Fire Alarms

London Fire Brigade (LFB) have joined the increasing number of brigades including the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service who limit response to automatic fire alarms. LFB have now stopped attending automatic fire alarms in most commercial buildings between 07:00 and 21:30. This includes all workplaces including offices, studios, warehouses, etc.

In 2023/24, AFAs made up 40% of all incidents that LFB attended. That’s 52,000 calls a year – over 140 a day. But 99% of those were false alarms and not recorded as Fires. As a result, LFB want to reduce the amount of time and resources spent going to Unwanted Fire Signals (UwFS) to free up firefighters’ time to respond to genuine emergencies, and to improve fire safety in local communities.

This policy won’t apply to all buildings. Schools, residential buildings and many other types of buildings are exempt, so you need to check if you are exempt or not. All productions and business need to ensure that your fire safety strategy, fire plan & emergency procedures are updated to reflect this.

If you want to talk to one of our fire consultants about this contact us through advice@firstoption.group.

National Trust Properties

If you’re filming in a National Trust building (or in close proximity to one) you need to be aware that NT now requires you to submit a Fire Risk Assessment a minimum of 2 weeks in advance of your shoot. If you want more information, you should contact the National Trust Film Office at filmoffice@nationaltrust.org.uk.