Alabama Fire College preparing firefighters for electric vehicle fires

EAST ALABAMA, Ala. (WBRC) – The Alabama Fire College is making sure first responders are prepared and equipped to deal with fires involving electric vehicles. This comes as EVs and charging stations are becoming more common across Alabama.

Glencoe Fire Chief Richard Johnson says with an EV you’re dealing with a vehicle that has a power pack that could have hundreds or thousands of small batteries inside.

“In a normal car it’s hot, but these lithium ion batteries burn much hotter and much faster and they also put out a chemical that’s called Hydrogen Flouride. As a firefighter we must have our protective clothing on and our protective SCBA’s on so we don’t have to breathe this stuff in,” says Johnson.

Electric vehicles and charging stations have increased around the state and the Alabama Fire College is making sure Alabama Firefighters are trained to deal with this new type of fire.

“It’s something that we really really need. These new vehicles that are coming out, they’re very dangerous in the fire service right now, so the fire college has started this program and hopefully when it goes state-wide, we’ll be better equipped and better knowledgeable to put these electric vehicles out,” says Johnson.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, fires in electric vehicles powered by high-voltage lithium-ion batteries pose the risk of electric shock to emergency responders.

“They’re in a box that is made out of steel, aluminum, and it’s hard to get in there to put those batteries out,” says Johnson.

Many fire chiefs say this new training and equipment is valuable to their departments and will help them to better serve their communities.

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