In a crisis, first responders rely on their experience and training to handle dangerous situations safely. As the world moves into a future where electric vehicles go mainstream, these men and women require new skills to deal with unfamiliar electrical and mechanical systems.

The risk of untrained people interacting with high voltage from an EV fire is a scary proposition. In the event of a road accident, would the average first responder know how to safely disconnect power from the car’s battery? How about a fire in a garage where an electric vehicle is being charged? potentially with 220 volts?

Tea National Transportation Safety Board The NTSB is well aware that electric vehicles pose a threat to untrained response teams, repair crews, and passengers. The agency recently released a report titled “Safety Risks to Emergency Response Personnel from Lithium-Ion Battery Fires in Electric Vehicles.”

The extensive report includes several case studies and includes a section titled “Guidance for Emergency Responders.”

This guide includes:

Easy to understand battery disconnect procedures

Teams need access to understand how to disconnect the battery of specific vehicles.

Fire fighting methods

The NTSB recommends using large amounts of water to extinguish fires and cool batteries.

The risk of thermal runaway and reignition

Emergency and repair teams must take steps to mitigate instances of reignition, which can occur weeks after the battery was first damaged.

Procedures for releasing stranded power from damaged batteries

Those involved in the recovery, repair and storage of damaged electric vehicles must deal with the energy stored in batteries, particularly if external circuits and wiring are mutilated or shorted.

Formatting of emergency response guides

Emergency guides should be in a standard format so that first responders can find the information they need quickly, with a minimum of searching.

Improved orientation and information sharing

Vehicle manufacturers need to improve their safety guides and manuals so that fire and repair crews have a deeper understanding of the proper repair and storage of damaged electric vehicles.

Fire and emergency crews have decades of experience working on damaged vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines. Best practices for working safely around wrecked gasoline cars and trucks are well established.

Many of these entrenched methods do not apply to electric vehicles. Electric vehicles require completely different measures in the event of an accident, fire or flood. Even highly experienced first responders will need training in the proper methods of operating electric vehicles in an emergency. Failure to understand the intricacies of high voltage mechanisms could spell disaster for them, their crews, and bystanders.

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