Goodyear uses new technology to stop garbage truck fires

Goodyear takes steps to protect workers from battery fires

Recent garbage truck fires, some sparked by lithium batteries, have prompted the city of Goodyear to take action. FOX 10's Steve Nielsen shows us the city's new solution to protect trucks and drivers.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. - A recent surge in garbage truck fires has prompted the city of Goodyear to implement a new safety solution to protect its vehicles and drivers from a common culprit: lithium-ion batteries.

What they're saying:

"This year we've seen five truck fires from our trucks," said Gus Plascencia with the Goodyear Public Works Department. "Three that required extensive repairs ... two were put out by our staff before they fully emerged into major fires."

The fires are not only costly, at least $150,000 per truck, but also a safety risk. Plascencia said the fires often begin when a lithium-ion battery is punctured by pressure or equipment inside the truck.

To combat the issue, the city has installed cameras inside its garbage trucks that monitor for heat. If a temperature of 200 degrees is detected, it triggers an alarm.

Why you should care:

"It's going to give the opportunity for our operators to react when it detects a heat source and eject the load and have the fire department show up and put that fire out outside of the truck, preventing damage to the truck and damage to the community or even our own operators," Plascencia said.

He said the new technology, which he calls a mobile fire alarm, is the only one of its kind in the city's trucks.

What you can do:

Residents are reminded to properly dispose of lithium batteries by checking local city and town guidelines.

Click here for information on disposing of lithium batteries from the city of Goodyear.

Click here for more information on the batteries.