Staff from Chelsea and Westminster NHS Hospital burns unit, the largest unit for the South of England, are urging Londoners to follow the Brigade’s #ChargeSafe campaign advice after treating patients with serious burns following e-bike and e-scooter fires.
The Brigade’s #ChargeSafe advice to never block escape routes with e-bikes and e-scooters, and always ensure you have the correct battery and charger to go with your vehicle, are key messages hospital staff want Londoners to follow to reduce injuries.
Staff from Chelsea and Westminster NHS Hospital burns unit, the largest unit for the South of England, are urging Londoners to follow the Brigade’s #ChargeSafe campaign advice after treating patients with serious burns following e-bike and e-scooter fires.
The Brigade’s #ChargeSafe advice to never block escape routes with e-bikes and e-scooters, and always ensure you have the correct battery and charger to go with your vehicle, are key messages hospital staff want Londoners to follow to reduce injuries.
Sub Officer David Ardrey from Kensington fire station recently visited the Burns Unit to meet with hospital staff. He said: “We welcome the hospital’s support with the campaign, as sadly e-bike and e-scooter incidents are on the rise with our crews attending one on average every other day.
“It’s shocking how London’s leading Burns Unit is having to deal with an influx of serious injuries these fires cause. Storing e-bikes and e-scooters in a safe place and away from fire escape routes is vital and can prevent serious injury. We see first-hand how blocking an escape route means people are almost forced to tackle the fire and this can lead to catastrophic burns. If you notice a fire, don’t tackle it - call 999 straight away. If you find someone has been burned then cool the area, keep the patient warm and remove any loose clothing from the affected area while you await the emergency services.”
With the spike in burns injuries, the Brigade is also urging e-bike and e-scooter owners to make sure they know the dangers of purchasing conversion kits from an online marketplace, and the fire risks associated with not using correct chargers with the correct batteries for an e-bike or e-scooter.
Isabel Jones, Burns and Plastic Surgery Consultant at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust said: “Burns from e-bikes and e-scooters are a relatively new concern for us and the type of burns that we are seeing more of can be devastating to patients and their families. The burns from e-bikes and e-scooters are flame injuries and result in far deeper wounds that don’t tend to heal without surgery. Due to the fast spreading nature of these fires, the burns we see are significant in size and require weeks of hospital treatment. Typically, they leave the patient permanently scarred and are severe compared to other types of burns.
“Ensuring the safety messages from the #ChargeSafe campaign are known is key to prevent injuries. It’s not just burns but the toxic fumes are really dangerous too. Leave the firefighting to the professionals and call for help as soon as possible.”
E-bike and e-scooter fires are London’s fastest growing fire trend. There have been at least 146 of these fires this year, of which at least 121 have involved an e-bike. Sadly, three people have died and 58 people have been injured. Firefighters are seeing how the cost of living means some people are cutting costs while attempting to make ends meet. Attempts to do things on the cheap can lead to increased risk of fire especially when converting a push bike without the expertise, buying a cheap battery from an online retailer and using a different charger with an incompatible battery.
Roger Mityero (41) from Tulse Hill had an e-bike fire in August after it had been charging overnight. Roger had had the bike for three months and following the incident he was treated at Chelsea and Westminster Burns unit outpatients. He explains what went wrong, he said: “I had two minutes to react. The front door was closed and the whole family was going to impacted by this thing bursting into flames. Never again would I have one in the house – it was like a box of fireworks going off. I put the bike in the corridor and I had to open the front door. My skin was blown off. I have ten per cent burns on my left arm. The little cylinders in the battery started popping and that led to a domino effect - nothing was going to stop it once it was alight.”
For more information about how to stay safe visit the Brigade’s #ChargeSafe campaign.