Jamaicans are being encouraged to put electronic devices on a hard surface when charging, away from combustible materials, to prevent unintended fires.

The advice was given by Commissioner of the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB), Stewart Beckford said.

“If you have to charge your cellphone, your tablets or any one of these devices, put it on a hard surface – something that will not easily ignite if there is a fire,” Beckford shared.

He advised that in the event of a fire resulting from the device being overcharged, “the chances of that [fire] getting to combustible material and then involving the entire house are significantly reduced”. 

Beckford pointed out that electronic devices should not be placed on the bed or sofa when being charged. 

He further emphasised that persons should desist from charging their cellphones while in bed.

“Don’t put it in your bed. You should never fall asleep with your cellphone charging in your bed; that is a recipe for disaster,” he stressed.

Beckford pointed to a recent incident at an institution where a student left a tablet charging on the bed, which resulted in a fire.

He also used the opportunity to encourage the proper disposal of e-waste, which is electronic products that are unwanted, not working, and nearing or at the end of their useful life.

“We need to find out where to package these and get them to a safe place so that they can be disposed of,” he said, adding that the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) has a plan in place to treat with the disposal of e-waste.

 “Don’t throw them in the regular garbage, because if you put them in… the garbage collectors  will come and pick the garbage up [and] put it in the truck. It is compacted [and] likely to cause a fire,” he added, noting that if it goes on the dump the same may happen.

E-waste can be dropped off at any of the four NSWMA regional offices or its head office located at 61 Half-Way Tree Road, Kingston 10.

The four regional offices are MPM Waste Management Limited at 67a Hagley Road, Kingston 10; WPM Waste Management Limited at 1a LOJ Commercial Centre, Montego Bay; SPM Waste Management Limited at 4a Mandeville Plaza, Manchester; and NEPM Waste Management Limited at 2 Stormont Road, New Buckfield, Ocho Rios, St. Ann.

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