Warning - battery fire, please share!!

[TexasRedneck]

Okay...ya'll know I've got family in PD...this was forwarded to me from yet another department - just something to think about, folks.....identifying department info redacted...the two links should work - one to the related airplane story, the other to a site w/pictures of the gun that caught fire (actually, the *light* caught fire....).


From: xxxxxx
Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2012 3:44 PM
To: Police Sworn Employees
Subject: FW: Police Officer's Glock 21 catches fire - Police Officer's Glock 21 catches fire while holstered and hanging in his residential closet!

Hi,

Silly as it sounds, this really can be a major problem. The issue is cheap lithium batteries. Officers using CR123 lithium batteries for flashlights, etc. should buy a name brand battery such as Duracell or Eveready. I forget what the difference is, but the more expensive batteries have a fail safe to prevent the battery from catching fire. I'm attaching a link to a report on a plane crash that is linked to these cheap batteries.

xxx

Lithium battery fire risk linked to Dubai plane crash - The National


FYI… GOT THIS FROM xxxx AT xxPD

STAY SAFE

xxxxxxx

Subject: FW: Police Officer's Glock 21 catches fire - Police Officer's Glock 21 catches fire while holstered and hanging in his residential closet!

Police Officer’s Glock 21 catches fire while holstered and hanging in his residential closet! (news)
· Several weeks ago one of my uniformed officer's tactical light caught fire while attached to his Glock 21 Pistol, which was holstered and handing in his residential closet.
· My officer smelled something burning and investigated discovering his holster smoking.
· The tactical light attached to his pistol is a Streamlight M3 loaded with Empire CR123 3V Lithium Batteries.
· It appears that the lithium batteries caused the fire.
· The attached photographs were taken of my officer's pistol and tactical light.

Respectfully,
xxxx xxxxxx
Detective/Firearms Instructor
xxxxxxx Township P. D.

Scroll down for additional info…


From: xxxx xxxx
Sent: Monday, July 30, 2012 4:30 PM
Subject: Police Officer’s Glock 21 catches fire

DO NOT USE CHINESE BATTERIES!

Several weeks ago one of my uniformed officer's tactical light caught fire while attached to his Glock 21 Pistol, which was holstered and handing in his residential closet. My officer smelled something burning and investigated discovering his holster smoking. The tactical light attached to his pistol is a Streamlight M3 loaded with Empire CR123 3V Lithium Batteries. It appears that the lithium batteries caused the fire. Please find the attached photographs taken of my officer's pistol and tactical light.

Respectfully,
cccc ccccc
Detective/Firearms Instructor
xxxxxx Township P. D.

 

[Skip]

Good to know TRN, I'll guess I'm gtg with the 6 i have left of USA Panasonic's. But, I'm sure gonna keep one eye open on the light. Thanks for sharing.

 

[TXDARKHORSE361]

Wow, appreciate the forward. I've seen similar problems before though, we would warn guys not to store their optics with the batteries in especially with night vision and if not going to be used for a bit. We would have batteries pop and leak acid throughout and just thoroughly coat the compartment. Being the awesome Electro-Optical Ordnance Technician I was (yup armory pog here) if I caught it soon enough I was more than likely able to clean it out and save the NVG, however I've had to replace many battery compartments on PVS-14's and have to send other optics I wasn't authorized to do extensive maintenance on back to the factory for a replacement. Don't use cheap batteries and if at all possible don't store any optics (including flashlights) for long periods of time with the batteries in if the terminals are contacting. I understand you want to keep your flashlight ready to go especially one mounted to your weapon but be sure to keep an eye on them and change them out when needed.

 

[TXARGUY]

Good info. I'm gonna have to check all f my batteries tomorrow.

 

[hkusp1]

I've seen cr123 over heat and pop before.

 

[Texasjack]

The same goes for cell phones. Knock-off batteries can go bad, short out internally, and catch fire.

 

[hkusp1]

Batteries are kind of like ammo, if you can't drink the water in the country they are produced don't use them.

 

[35Remington]

The moral of that story is not "Do not use Chinese batteries." There's nothing inherently wrong with a battery that is made in China. Energizer has been making batteries there since 1992. The moral needs to be "Do not use batteries that do not have a built-in protection circuit."

 

[robertc1216]

"Do not use batteries that do not have a built-in protection circuit."

How do you determine it has that circuit, is that on the box somewhere or on their website maybe. Just curious since i have a bunch of them and they are in bulk white boxes. But name brand.

 

[tussery]

Don't forget the best bang for your buck are Surefire batteries they are US made, and are made in the same factory as all other US made CR123's.

 

[#1gunner]

Come on China!!!

 

[deemus]

ttt

 

[35Remington]

The same goes for cell phones. Knock-off batteries can go bad, short out internally, and catch fire.

Any battery can go bad. Happens on iPhones as well as cheapo AAs.

How do you determine it has that circuit, is that on the box somewhere or on their website maybe. Just curious since i have a bunch of them and they are in bulk white boxes. But name brand.

More than you ever wanted to know about batteries (this site is well written though--great info here): Battery Safeguards; Protection Circuits

Don't forget the best bang for your buck are Surefire batteries they are US made, and are made in the same factory as all other US made CR123's.

Disagree. Surefire is the best way to make sure your wallet stays empty. Don't get me wrong-- they're great, but there are many, many alternatives that are also safe and effective. Which ones? Here: CR123A Comparison Review: 4Sevens, Titanium Innovations, Tenergy, Surefire, Duracell Think twice before joining that forum, though. It's easy to become a flashaholic.

 

[tussery]

Disagree. Surefire is the best way to make sure your wallet stays empty. Don't get me wrong-- they're great, but there are many, many alternatives that are also safe and effective. Which ones? Here: CR123A Comparison Review: 4Sevens, Titanium Innovations, Tenergy, Surefire, Duracell Think twice before joining that forum, though. It's easy to become a flashaholic.

Again all US made CR123's come from the same factory. You should do some more digging around on that site and you will find what I have said. I have been away for awhile and see that there are cheaper US made cells online, but when in a pinch and you have to buy some in town it's tough finding anything cheaper than Surefire cells.

 

[TXARGUY]

Any battery can go bad. Happens on iPhones as well as cheapo AAs.



More than you ever wanted to know about batteries (this site is well written though--great info here): Battery Safeguards; Protection Circuits



Disagree. Surefire is the best way to make sure your wallet stays empty. Don't get me wrong-- they're great, but there are many, many alternatives that are also safe and effective. Which ones? Here: CR123A Comparison Review: 4Sevens, Titanium Innovations, Tenergy, Surefire, Duracell Think twice before joining that forum, though. It's easy to become a flashaholic.

Good info here. I've always used SureFire branded batteries. It's good to know that there are others out there that are just as good.

 

[itchin]

If you have base privileges, you can buy surefire cr123s for a decent price.

 

[M. Sage]

I've got Eveready in my lights.

 

[TXDARKHORSE361]

Don't forget the best bang for your buck are Surefire batteries they are US made, and are made in the same factory as all other US made CR123's.

But then why do they not last in a surefire product? Lol jk but seriously we went through so many surefire 123's on my last deployment it was ridiculous, that being said I've never used a flashlight more in my life. Was nice that almost everything I had took them, rifle had a peq-15 laser took one, surefire weapon light took two, and personal flashlight (surefire brand) took two, layer got "upgraded to a peq-16 (integrated laser and flashlight) which took two so it took one out of the equation and pas-27 thermal sight took four, but the pvs-14 nvg took a AA. I could go on and on as there are so many different sized/type of batteries military equipment used but if it was personal issue you could almost guarantee it to take a 123 or a AA.

 

[firefree]

I've used cheap cr123 batteries in my camera gear for years. Buy them on the internet for around 95 cents each. I have received a bad one (not charged) every now and then. But have saved bunches of bucks. Any battery can go bad. For the most part they last a long time. One thing, I also have always stored the gear without batteries, if not planning to use it within a week or so. Just my history with cheap batteries

 

[robocop10mm]

I believe the problem was originally reported in Surefire brand batteries. Investigation found they were actually cheap Chinese forgeries. They looked a lot like the Surefires but were not. The damn Chinese will be sending us cheap knock off Cadillacs next.