Strategies for Recyclers to Build Relationships with First Responders

During ReMA 2025 - The Show, Fire Captain Matthew Salmon, along with other representatives from the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, volunteered to participate at ReMA's Safety Pavilion to exchange knowledge and information with the recycled materials industry.

For the first time ever, ReMA established a dedicated Safety Pavilion at the annual convention that featured federal, state, and local government representatives alongside private organizations. The pavilion booths featured resources for members on a variety of safety topics including fire safety, electrical safety, and mental health resources, as well as vendor booths with resources to help members.

The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department agreed to support the effort and helped the association raise awareness around fires, batteries, and related issues. They also helped facilitate burn demonstrations at the pavilion to show how to safely handle battery fires.

"By being here today, we hope to continue to grow the relationship between fire departments and the recycled materials industry," said Fire Captain Salmon. "I've worked on a fire engine for a long time, and now I work in fire prevention. [The Safety Pavilion] gives us the opportunity for us to learn from the industry about their concerns and how we can better serve this section of the community."

According to Fire Captain Salmon, it's important for recyclers to build and develop relationships with local first responders before an incident or emergency arises. "Our goal is to prevent incidents or help mitigate their effects," he said. "One of the best ways to prevent an incident is for us to have a relationship with the community we serve to give them the education and information they need to manage these materials and stay safe. It goes both ways because we also want the industry to tell us about their concerns."

Every state has its own fire codes and local authorities who enforce them throughout the year. Fire Captain Salmon encourages recyclers to research their local authorities and invite them to their facilities for a fire inspection. A fire inspection is a great opportunity for first responders to meet with recyclers, get a sense of the layout of a recycling yard, point out potential areas of concern, and share measures recyclers can take to prevent potential incidents.

One of the issues Fire Captain Salmon raised was the rise of lithium-ion battery fires. If these batteries catch fire, they go into "thermal runaway" making them difficult to extinguish.

"Lithium-ion battery fires put off gases that are far worse than smoke from a house fire," he said. "You don't want to breathe in the gases from these."

If the battery is in an enclosed space, like an electric vehicle (EV) in a garage for example, and it goes into thermal runaway, it can over-pressurize leading to a large uncontrollable fire or explosion.

Fire Captain Salmon added that the fire department recognizes that these batteries are part of the future, and their goal is to make sure they are handled safely.

"Safety is so important to businesses, especially for the recycled materials industry where you have many combustible materials," he said. "We want to do everything we can to prevent an incident at your facility so we can protect you and your staff and keep first responders out of a dangerous situation."