Senior Airman Alyssa Bankston, 5th Bomb Wing Public Affairs

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. – The 5th Civil Engineer Squadron’s (5CES) Fire & Emergency Services flight will lead Minot Air Force Base’s observance of Fire Prevention Week (FPW), Oct. 5-11, 2025, with a focus on safe use and charging of lithium-ion batteries under the theme, “Charge into Safety: Lithium-Ion Batteries in Your Home!”

Throughout the week, firefighters will provide public education aimed at reducing fire risk on and off base.

On Oct. 4 from 8:45 to 10 a.m., a parade is scheduled to go through base housing, followed by an open house at the base fire station from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Oct. 8 is scheduled to host story time with Sparky the Fire Dog, the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) mascot, at the base library from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. FPW is the nation’s longest-running public health observance, with 2025 being its hundredth year of national observance. The NFPA has sponsored the week since 1922 and President Calvin Coolidge made it a national observance in 1925. It is held annually during the week of Oct. 9 to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed about 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres.

“Fire Prevention Week is a week dedicated to fire prevention activities,” said Mark Franceschini, lead fire inspector for the 5CES Fire & Emergency Services flight. “It was recognized that we needed to have something to remind people of safe practices as we go through the year.”

This year’s theme highlights everyday hazards tied to lithium-ion batteries found in laptops, e-bikes and scooters, power tools and other household devices.

“It’s a brand-new theme. Lithium-ion batteries are pretty new to the world and they’re very dangerous,” Franceschini said. “It takes a lot more to put them out than just a regular fire extinguisher. It takes a lot of water to put them out. Even then, it’s not guaranteed they’ll go out.

We want to make sure people are recognizing those dangers when they charge up, whether it be their car, their scooters or whatever they have that uses lithium-ion batteries, they do it as safely as possible to minimize that risk.”
Franceschini emphasized that computers are among the most common at-home risks because of how and where they are charged.

“Almost everybody has a computer at home,” said Franceschini. “Don’t put them on the carpet. Don’t put them on a blanket. Put them on a flat, hard surface on your floor, if possible. You don’t want to kick them over. You want to just make sure you’re doing things as safely as possible when you’re charging them.”

The Fire & Emergency Services flight encourages Minot AFB personnel and families to review basic precautions for lithium-ion battery safety at home:

• Charge devices on a stable, nonflammable, well-ventilated surface; avoid beds, couches, carpets and piles of clothing or papers.
• Keep chargers and batteries away from high-traffic walkways where they can be knocked over.
• Store batteries and devices at room temperature and away from direct sunlight or
  heating sources. Do not charge under pillows or blankets.
  For more information about Fire Prevention Week and home fire safety resources, visit the
  National Fire Protection Association’s website at nfpa.org.