There's no single nationwide mandate yet, but your obligations come from several overlapping sources: Duty of care under WHS and strata legislation in your state. Essential safety measures — your building's annual fire safety statement must reflect current risks, and EV/lithium-ion battery fires are increasingly recognised as one. Insurance requirements — insurers are now asking about lithium-ion risk at renewal. Building codes — the National Construction Code (NCC) now requires new Class 2 buildings to include electrical provisions for EV charging, which triggers a review of fire safety strategy. Jurisdiction-specific guidance — the ACT, for example, already requires a Special Hazard Report (using ISO 31000 risk principles) for buildings with EV charging. In short: documented risk assessment plus appropriate equipment is rapidly becoming the standard of care expected of strata managers. Acting before an incident — rather than after — is the safer position both practically and legally.

It depends on the size and layout of your car park, the number of charging bays, and whether residents store e-bikes, e-scooters, or mobility scooters on common property. As a starting point we recommend: EV fire blankets: one large blanket (6m × 8m) per car park level, or one per 50 parking spaces — whichever is more accessible. Store near the car park entry/exit in a clearly marked cabinet or wall-mounted bag. Lithium-ion fire extinguishers (F-500 or AVD): one mounted at each charging bay or cluster of charging bays. E-bike/e-scooter storage areas: a smaller 1L extinguisher and a dedicated e-bike fire blanket per storage zone. Every building is different — we offer a free assessment and custom quote based on your site plan.

We recommend a four-part EV fire safety package designed specifically for the lithium-ion risk profile of multi-residential buildings: EV fire blanket (6m × 8m) — covers a burning vehicle, contains the fire, limits toxic gas spread, and protects adjacent vehicles and building structure. Lithium-ion fire extinguisher (F-500 or AVD) — these specialised agents cool the battery below the thermal runaway threshold and suppress the reaction at cellular level, which standard water, foam, CO₂, and dry-powder extinguishers cannot do. Signage and block-plan updates — EV charging points clearly identified on building block plans at the Fire Department Connection and Information Exchange (FDCIE), plus directional signage to chargers and emergency shutoffs. Resident education materials — a simple one-page guide covering what to do if they see smoke or fire from an EV or lithium device, how to activate alarms, and the importance of telling 000 the vehicle is electric. Volume discounts are available for buildings with multiple car park levels or large e-mobility populations.

Yes. The risk is already in your building, regardless of whether you've installed chargers. The average Australian home now contains 33 lithium-ion battery devices — and your residents bring those into the building every day. This includes: Electric cars parked overnight (even without on-site charging), E-bikes and e-scooters stored in apartments or common areas, Mobility scooters, Power tools and tradie battery packs, Laptops, vacuums, and other household devices. Fire & Rescue NSW attended 315+ lithium-ion battery fires in 2024/25, and most of these involved devices that weren't being charged in dedicated EV infrastructure. The exposure exists today — equipment should reflect that.