SAFETY & SECURITY 57 EVOLVING FIRE RISKS
Helen Hewitt of the British Woodworking Federation (BWF) discusses the need for developers to increase focus on fi re door safety, against new risks like e-bikes.
T
he fi re risks facing our homes and public buildings have evolved considerably over the last couple of decades. This is clearly demonstrated by the rapid growth and use of lithium-ion batteries, which power everything from smartphones and laptops to e-bikes, e-scooters and even garden tools. While these devices bring undeniable convenience, they also introduce a new category of fi re risk that spreads quickly and with devastating effect. For housebuilders, this trend cannot be ignored – homes designed and delivered today must not only meet today’s standards but also anticipate tomorrow’s risks, ensuring residents are protected in a changing fi re safety landscape.
A FAST MOVING FIRE RISK
Across the UK, lithium-ion batteries are now implicated in one of the sharpest rises in fi re incidents in recent history. In fact, a recent Freedom of Information request by BE Insurance revealed a 93 rise in such fi res between 2022 and 2024 with e-bikes and e-scooters among the most common causes. Added to this, the British Woodworking
Federation’s own research, conducted for Fire Door Safety Week 2025, found that • High perceived risk – e-bikes (45) and e-scooters (47) topped the list of lithium-ion battery powered items most likely to be seen as a fi re haard, ahead of vapes (3) and electric vehicles (36).
• Increasing fi re risk fear – over half (59) of e-bike and e-scooter owners say their fi re risk fears have grown since getting one.
• Storage habits – while most store their e-scooters or e-bikes in a garage or outbuilding (56), 10 keep them in their hallway, 5 in a shared hallway or landing, and 7 in another room in the home.
• Fire safety - only 41 are confi dent that the fi re doors in their building would contain a lithium-ion battery fi re.
This is a concerning gap. The very moments when fi re doors are most needed are the same moments when lithium-ion battery fi res are likely to overwhelm escape routes with heat, smoke and toxic gases. Fire doors need
to be correctly specifi ed, maintained and fully operational to perform their life saving role.
As ondon Fire Brigade Deputy Assistant Commissioner Richard Field recently warned E-bikes and e-scooters are one of ondon’s fastest-growing fi re risks. Since the beginning of 2023, there has been a fi re, on average, every other day involving an e-bike or e-scooter. We’re urging people never to store or charge e-bikes or e-scooters in hallways, stairwells or escape routes. If possible, keep them outdoors in a garage or shed. If you must keep one indoors, always place it in a room away from your main exit, so that if a fi re does break out, you can close the door and get everyone to safety. For housebuilders and property developers, correct specifi cation and compliance with evolving fi re door legislation is essential. But it is equally important to consider how people use their homes today, particularly with the growing need to charge and store e-bikes and e-scooters. To meet the expectations of modern living while maintaining the highest safety standards, developers
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