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Tesla Motors, Brock Archer, and Ron Moore put together a great training video that goes over the procedures for first responders on scene of a motor vehicle accident involving an electric vehicle (EV). Make sure you also take note on some of the body structure fractures while being cut. This video is packed full of useful information, make sure you take advantage of it!
A big thanks to Tesla Motors for putting the time and money into making this video.
Brock Archer is one of the few guys out there with a vehicle extrication train the trainer course. His course has been fined tuned and is a 4 day Train the Trainer that fully prepares participants to teach the latest in Vehicle Extrication. This course is hosted by the Denver Fire Department and Ron Moore is also teaching a full day in the classroom and a full hands on day bringing the knowledge he continues to grow because of his work with the NFPA, American Iron and Steel Institute, and automakers globally. Sign up quick, before all the spots are gone!
The headline that started making the rounds thru the news networks was “Chevrolet Volt catches fire after crash”. Just look at the web search below! What you have to read into the story is the Chevrolet Volt caught fire in storage more than three weeks after a government crash test. That’s right three weeks after the test. The first news report I heard completely left out that it happened three weeks after the test. So what is your first thought, the Volt was crashed and burst into flames. However that was clearly not the case. The fire prompted federal safety regulators to look at safety procedures for electric vehicles after a crash. Not to look at an electric car that burst into flames after a crash test. General Motors has responded to this incident by stating the NHTSA did not follow GM’s recommended safety protocol for a post-crash Volt.
After reading the Chevrolet Volt Collision Awareness Guide and the Hybrid Collision Awareness Guide the only post-crash safety protocol I could was this:
A complete inspection of the high voltage(HV) system and components must be performed if the vehicle has been involved in a collision. The HVCID sensor and/or SIR Deployed vehicle-disable condition will remain active until cleared by the HPCM output control function of the scan tool.
Is there a missing safety procedure out there? General Motors has done a great job getting information about the Volt out to firefighters and other rescue workers. But did I miss a training for the towing and collision industries?
If you have not taken the Electric Vehicle Safety Training for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt training launched by the NFPA, Chevrolet, and OnStar I would do so now. The training features an inside look at the vehicle’s technology and safety systems. Here are some More training resources for the Chevrolet Volt. I have two reason you need to learn more about this vehicle, a motor vehicle crash in your response area could involve a Chevrolet Volt and that same Volt could be towed to a tow yard, collision center, or dealer lot in your response area! Think about it!
Stay Safe!
MiEV is an acronym for Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle and it is a five-door hatchback electric car and is the electric version of the Mitsubishi i. There is not an Emergency Response Guide (ERG) for the North America version yet because the 2012 model is the first year sold in the United States. The information below is taken from the European market, well the Germany ERG for the 2011 Mitsubishi MiEV. The US version will have some changes, but expect most of the vehicle to remain unchanged. Check back, I’ll post info on the 2012 US model as soon as it is available.
More Mitsubishi rescue data sheet/rescue maps are located here.
The Mini E is not a production vehicle for sale to the public per say. However, 450 Mini E vehicles are currently in a field trial in the United States. There are two areas selected for the trial, Los Angeles and the New York and New Jersey Metro area. The Mini E has about a 156 mile range on a full charge so must of the vehicles will likely stay around those two areas. The Mini E trial is a lease purchase where the vehicles will be brought back BMW/Mini to gather valuable data from real world drivers. Just because there are only a few of the Mini Es out on the road doesn’t mean First Responders should take a few minutes to look at the Mini E Emergency Responder Quick Reference Guide. My hat goes off to BMW/Mini for taking the time to put together an ERG on a vehicle that is basically in the testing phase on the road!
Make sure you also visit the sources of the images in this post. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is working very hard on providing free training for First Responders on the the Electric Vehicle Safety Training website.
The Electric Vehicle Safety Training project of the National Fire Protection Association has two very informative reports in pdf format.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the SAE International have released a summary report from the co-hosted U.S. National Electric Vehicle Safety Standards Summit held in October that focused on how current codes and standards address safety and electrical infrastructure concerns related to electric vehicles. The summary report prepared by the Fire Protection Research Foundation, an affiliate of NFPA, focuses on fundamental codes and standards issues as they pertain to electric vehicles in the areas of: vehicles; built infrastructure; and emergency responders.
Fire Fighter Safety and Emergency Response for Electric Drive and Hybrid Electric Vehicles (pdf)
As the use of alternative energy proliferates, the fire service has identified a number of areas of concern with hazard mitigation and emergency response. This includes electric and hybrid electric vehicles, which are introducing new and unexpected hazards to fire fighters and other emergency responders.
The goal of this report is to assemble and disseminate best practice information for fire fighters and fireground incident commanders to assist in their decision making process for handling electric and hybrid electric vehicles. Specifically, this study focuses on vehicles intended for roadway passenger use involving fire and/or rescue emergency situations, either on the roadway or at charging/docking stations (e.g., garages). The project deliverables will be in the form of a written report, which will include best practices that can serve as the basis for training program development by others.
The deliverables for this project collectively review the available baseline information, identify the fundamental principles and key details involving fire/rescue tactics and strategy, provide a summary of core basics, and address and clarify related issues such as training needs, areas needing further research, revisions to codes/standards, and other applicable topics.
A companion study to this report focuses on solar power systems rather than electric and hybrid electric vehicles (Fire Fighter Safety and Emergency Response for Solar Power Systems, FPRF). This has taken an identical approach and focuses on assembling and disseminating best practice information for fire fighters and fireground incident commanders to assist in their decision making process. This companion report addresses buildings and other structures with solar power systems that are intended to supply power to the respective structure, with a primary focus on solar photovoltaic panels used for electric power generation.
This overall initiative (consisting of the reports on Electric Drive and Hybrid Electric Vehicles and Solar Power Systems) is funded through a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG).
First off, my hat off the fine folks at GM, OnStar, and The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for setting up and implementing a nationwide training program of First Responders on the new technologies in the Chevrolet Volt. This week is the final stop on a nationwide tour where more than 1,600 fire and emergency service leaders have been trained. Fitting the last stop is where it all started, Detroit! The training was held in the OnStar garage at General Motors headquarters in downtown Detroit. Chevrolet and OnStar, in a joint effort with the NFPA expect 400 Detroit-area first responders to be trained in learning how to deal with emergency situations involving electric vehicles in Detroit, Michigan this week.
© Copyright General Motors
The NFPA’s Electric Vehicle Safety Training project is a nationwide program to help firefighters and other first responders prepare for the growing number of electric vehicles on the road in the United States. The NFPA project, funded by a $4.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, provides first responders with information they need to most effectively deal with potential emergency situations involving electric vehicles.
The NFPA is behind the Electric Vehicle Safety Training project Blog and check out the post about GM passes the torch to NFPA on EV Training.
© Copyright General Motors
Detroit Fire Chief Gregory Williams © Copyright General Motors
I was contacted a couple months ago by Paul Melfi who is working with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) on a new project called Electric Vehicle Safety Training. The project has some major legs and $4.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.
The goal of NFPA’s Electric Vehicle Safety Training project is widespread training participation and ensuring that firefighters and first responders are prepared for emergencies involving electric vehicles. The training seeks to:
- Create awareness of unique emergency response needs for electric vehicles
- Drive awareness of availability of training modules
- Remove concern about inherent safety of electric vehicles and ability to safely respond in emergency situations
- Reassure public that trained first responders know what to do in emergency situations involving electric vehicles
The website and the training are in the development phase right now. However, make sure you bookmark the site and start checking it regularly! The Electric Vehicle Safety Training Project has the potential to be an informative resource for First responders dealing with electric vehicles.
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