The Charger on Your Nightstand Is the Point This Month

The charger on your nightstand — especially if it's under a pillow — is exactly what Flower Mound's fire department wants you to think about this month.

FloMoBee covered Fire Prevention Week when it opened. The week has wrapped, but October is Fire Prevention Month, and the department's guidance is still posted and worth a few minutes of your time.

This year's campaign theme is "Charge Into Fire Safety: Safe Charging Is a Superpower," built around the everyday charging habits that can cut the risk of lithium-ion battery fires. It's the second straight year the NFPA has centered the campaign on this topic. That repetition means something: the incidents are climbing fast enough to warrant coming back around.

The department's guidance comes down to three habits.

Right charger, right cord. Your device shipped with a cord and charger — stick to those, or to accessories the manufacturer has explicitly approved. Mismatched chargers can degrade the battery and create fire conditions.

Hard surface only. Charge on a hard, flat surface — a table, desk, or floor. Beds, couches, and pillows trap heat and block airflow, which can push a battery toward overheating. The phone tucked under a pillow at night is precisely the scenario this addresses.

Unplug when it's full. Don't overcharge. Unplug the device — or remove the battery — once it's fully charged.

Bigger batteries shift the math. E-bikes, scooters, and power tools should be charged outside when possible, and never in a spot that blocks an exit. Those batteries store more energy, and a failure can escalate quickly. If the e-bike is currently plugged in near the front door, that's worth reconsidering.

Know the warning signs. Stop using a device immediately if the battery smells strange, feels warm, makes popping noises, changes shape or color, or produces smoke. If it's safe to do so, move the device away from anything flammable. A damaged battery can overheat and ignite.

When a lithium-ion battery reaches the end of its life, putting it in the trash or the curbside recycling bin is a fire risk — those batteries have ignited in both. Bring them instead to a dedicated battery recycling location. Call2Recycle.org can help you find one nearby.

Full campaign details are at flowermound.gov.