FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh is in Washington D.C. this week to address the pressing issue of unregulated lithium-ion batteries.

Joining “Mornings On 1” Thursday via video conference call from the nation’s capital, Kavanagh said she will be meeting with lawmakers and the U.S. Conference of Mayors to emphasize the need for urgent action on these potentially deadly devices often used in electric bikes and scooters.

“New York City has already banned these [types of batteries], and we have done enforcement in every bike shop in New York City. And we are still seeing these, in particular, most of our deaths are in private homes, with devices that are already banned. So you know, that tells us not only is that a place where we can't enforce, it also tells us these are making their way in despite our ban on them, and the only way to really stop that is to stop them from coming into the ports in the first place, and that’s what we’re asking the feds to do,” she said.

Kavanaugh said she will be asking federal lawmakers and UL Laboratories, which sets safety standards for these types of batteries, to ensure that lithium-ion batteries are unable to be tampered with, as she said many fires seen in New York City are caused by batteries that are either not certified or have been tampered with in some way. In 2023, New York City saw more than 260 fires related to lithium-ion batteries, resulting in 18 fatalities. Addressing the urgency of the situation, Kavanagh said, “Every day that goes by and these are still coming into our borders, coming into our city, is a day where we can have one of these fires.”

Kavanagh also emphasized the responsibility of app companies in ensuring the safety of delivery workers, who often use e-bikes for their work, saying, “We're gonna continue to push that the app companies really should be taking responsibility and helping the delivery workers have safe devices.”