June 2023: Batteries that Burn, Culture that Protects, and Continuing Education that Rocks

Watch out for thermal runaways! Lithium-ion batteries present a revolution in rechargeable energy, but they can overheat—and possibly combust—when they overcharge or short out. In this episode of SM Highlights, Adam Barowy from the Fire Safety Research Institute at Underwriters Laboratories discusses this risk and how to modify fire response protocols with battery fire risks in mind, especially in server rooms. Matt Porcelli, CPP, and SM Highlights host Brendan Howard hash out how ASIS International members select the education lineup for GSX and what he’s looking forward to at GSX 2023. Plus, do you have an education-friendly security culture? Guy Bliesner walks us through how competing values undermine school security and safety initiatives. Want to learn more about these topics? Check out the links below: See the lineup and key topics for GSX 2023 education: https://www.gsx.org/program-2023/ Read Adam Barowy’s article about lithium-ion battery fires and fire preparedness partnerships online here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/monthly-issues/security-technology/archive/2023/june/challenges-to-incident-response-at-secured-data-centers/ For more content about fire prevention and response, see the June 2023 issue of Security Technology: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/monthly-issues/security-technology/archive/2023/june/ Check back with Security Management later in June 2023 to learn more about security culture in schools, but in the meantime, read some of our past content about school security: Investigating shortcomings in the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/monthly-issues/security-technology/archive/2022/august/systemic-failures-investigation-reveals-shortcomings-of-uvalde-school-shooting-response/ Developing a better student-guardian reunification process for emergency recovery: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2022/01/developing-a-better-student-reunification-process/ Leverage multidisciplinary assessments for warning signs of violence: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2020/11/warning-signs-of-violence-require-multidisciplinary-assessment/