Created by fire safety experts Ryan Fogelman and Dalan Zartman, the new book gives children practical, memorable lessons for using, charging and disposing of batteries safely
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Batteries power more of childhood than ever before—from tablets and toys to phones, scooters and countless everyday devices. But as battery use continues to grow, so does the need for education about how to use, charge and dispose of them safely.
A new children’s book, Supercharged! Batty and the Battery Rescue Team, is tackling that challenge where lasting habits often begin: with kids.
Written by fire safety experts Ryan Fogelman and Dalan Zartman and illustrated by Darci Ward, Supercharged! Batty and the Battery Rescue Team! officially launches September 29 at RCon® 2026, powered by the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), in St. Louis, Missouri.
According to Ryan Fogelman’s 9th Annual Waste & Recycling Facility Fires Report, 2025 was the worst year on record since he began tracking publicly reported incidents in 2016, with 448 waste and recycling facility fires reported across the U.S. and Canada. That surpassed the previous record of 430 incidents in 2024 and was nearly 25% above the annual average of 360 fires, underscoring a growing safety challenge that extends far beyond any one industry or country. Lithium-ion batteries are now embedded in everyday life, and when they are damaged, improperly charged or incorrectly discarded, the consequences can include fires that threaten homes, communities, waste and recycling facilities, workers and first responders.
Supercharged! was created around a simple idea: What if fire prevention could begin before a battery ever becomes a hazard?
Through a colorful adventure led by Batty and the Battery Rescue Team, young readers learn practical battery safety habits they can use in their own lives—including proper charging methods, keeping batteries and devices away from excessive heat, recognizing warning signs of a potentially dangerous battery, knowing when to stay back and tell an adult, and never placing batteries in household trash or curbside recycling.
The book also features Woodsy Owl®, the longtime environmental education character, helping reinforce one of its most important lessons: batteries do not belong in household trash or curbside recycling.
Through support from the National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) and its “Skip the Bin! Turn Your Batteries In! ™” campaign, Supercharged! brings an established industry safety message directly to young readers and their families. In the story, Woodsy helps children remember a simple call to action—“Skip the Bin! Turn Your Batteries In!”—encouraging them to involve an adult and take used batteries to an appropriate collection or drop-off location.
The collaboration reflects one of the central goals of Supercharged!: bringing together fire safety, waste and recycling, environmental education, and community partners around consistent battery safety messages that children can understand, remember and share at home.
The goal is not to make children afraid of batteries. It is to give them the knowledge and confidence to make safer choices—and to bring those lessons home to their families.
“For years, I’ve tracked fires and worked with operators across the waste and recycling industry, and we continue to see the consequences when batteries end up where they don’t belong,” said Ryan Fogelman, co-author of Supercharged! and Fire Protection Consultant for Fire Rover. “Technology, detection and suppression are critical pieces of the solution, but we also have to work further upstream. If we can teach children how to safely use and dispose of batteries before unsafe habits ever form, we have an opportunity to prevent incidents rather than simply respond to them. That’s what makes this book so exciting to me.”
Fire Prevention Starts With Education
The launch comes just days before Fire Prevention Week, October 4–10, 2026, when communities, schools and fire departments across the country will focus attention on fire safety and prevention.
For Zartman, who has spent more than 25 years as a career firefighter and rescue specialist and now serves as CEO of the Energy Security Agency, prevention through education is a natural extension of a career spent responding to emergencies.
“As firefighters, we train our entire careers to respond when something goes wrong—but the best fire is the one that never starts,” said Dalan Zartman, co-author of Supercharged! and CEO of the Energy Security Agency. “Children are surrounded by battery-powered devices every day, which means battery safety needs to become as familiar as looking both ways before crossing the street or knowing what to do when a smoke alarm sounds. If we can make these lessons simple, memorable and fun at an early age, we have the opportunity to create safer habits that children carry with them for life.”
The timing is particularly significant in 2026 as Fire Prevention Week places renewed attention on lithium-ion battery safety and everyday charging habits.
From One Book to a Nationwide Battery Safety Initiative
The vision behind Supercharged! extends well beyond individual book sales.
The team is building a coalition of companies, municipalities, fire departments, recycling and waste organizations, community groups, safety organizations and other partners interested in sponsoring books for children in their communities and supporting broader battery safety education.
The long-term mission is ambitious: put Supercharged! into the hands of every child in America—and, ultimately, children around the world.
Organizations can participate by purchasing books in bulk for schools and community programs, sponsoring book distribution within a community, or joining the initiative as a corporate supporter.
Every new partner expands the number of children and families the initiative can reach.
“This is much bigger than selling a book,” Fogelman added. “Our goal is to build a movement around battery safety education. We want Supercharged! in classrooms, libraries, fire stations and homes across the country. The more organizations that join us, the more books we can put into kids’ hands—and the greater opportunity we have to change behavior before a battery becomes the cause of the next preventable fire.”
Supercharged! Launches at RCon® 2026
Supercharged! Batty and the Battery Rescue Team makes its official debut September 29 at RCon® 2026, SWANA’s premier event for waste and resource management professionals, taking place September 29–October 2 at America’s Center in St. Louis.
The conference provides a fitting backdrop for the launch. Improperly discarded batteries have become an increasingly important safety concern for the waste and recycling sector, putting workers, facilities and responding firefighters at risk.
Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about the book, meet members of the Supercharged! team and explore ways their organizations and communities can participate in the initiative.
About Supercharged! Batty and the Battery Rescue Team
Supercharged! Batty and the Battery Rescue Team is a children’s book created to make battery safety understandable, memorable and engaging for young readers. Written by fire safety experts Ryan Fogelman and Dalan Zartman and illustrated by Darci Ward, the story follows Batty and her friends as they identify unsafe battery situations and learn how everyday choices can help prevent fires and protect their communities.
Through storytelling, familiar characters and age-appropriate safety lessons—including an appearance by Woodsy Owl® reinforcing the National Waste & Recycling Association’s “Skip the Bin! Turn Your Batteries In! ™” campaign—Supercharged! teaches children how to safely use and charge battery-powered devices, recognize potential battery hazards, respond safely when something is wrong, and properly handle used batteries with the help of an adult.
The book launches September 29, 2026 and will be available through www.superchargedbook.org.
Help Bring Battery Safety Education to Your Community
Companies, municipalities, fire departments, schools, recycling and waste organizations, nonprofits and other community partners interested in bulk book orders, community sponsorships or corporate sponsorship opportunities are invited to join the Supercharged! battery safety initiative.
Learn more: superchargedbook.org
Partnership and sponsorship inquiries: meghan@superchargedbook.org
Media Contact
Meghan McCollum
Supercharged! Batty and the Battery Rescue Team
meghan@superchargedbook.org
superchargedbook.org
