(C) Daily Montanan This story was originally published by Daily Montanan and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . State Firefighters Association talks dangers, solutions to electric vehicle fire safety – Daily Montanan [1] ['Nicole Girten', 'More From Author', '- January'] Date: 2024-01-31 Firefighters across the country are facing unique challenges in responding to electric vehicle fires, and with the cars’ growing popularity, including in Montana, they are looking at how to best address putting out the flames. From cars bursting into flames in junkyards, to the amount of water needed to put out the fires compared to gas cars, firefighters are getting creative in how to respond to electric vehicle emergencies. The solutions can be costly, but fires from electric vehicles are much less common than gas-fueled cars. At a Transportation Interim Committee meeting on Wednesday, firefighters in Montana said they see training in electric vehicle emergency response, comprehensive emergency response manuals for electric cars across brands, and funds for specialized equipment as tools the state should consider as the cars rise in popularity. As of December there were about 4,500 electric vehicles registered in the state, with about 1,400 of them being plug-in hybrid electric cars, according to Department of Environmental Quality Director Chris Dorrington. Registrations for electric vehicles are projected to get up to 31,000 cars by 2030 (or 3% of the state car market), Dorrington told the committee. But electric cars pose less of a fire risk than traditional vehicles, according to data presented by Josh Fisher of the trade association Alliance for Automotive Innovation. Fisher said battery electric vehicles have a 0.025% chance of catching fire, compared to 1.5% for gas-powered internal combustion engine vehicles. “While electric vehicle fires are more rare compared to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles, they certainly do pose unique challenges,” Fisher said. Ole Hedstrom with the Montana State Firefighters Association said electric vehicle fires were considered high risk, but aren’t frequent. But he said the state’s first responders could use more practice dealing with electric vehicle response scenarios, which have complications. “We don’t necessarily know when we roll up how exactly they’re going to behave like we do a typical internal combustion engine fire,” Hedstrom said. Federal agencies put out guides for how to respond to electric vehicle emergencies, but each brand and car requires a different guide, as electric cars aren’t as standardized. Hedstrom said the location of the car’s power source can differ between brands, which changes how emergency responders would approach the scene. “In some vehicles it’s in the front trunk, and in other vehicles, it’s tucked behind the seat post. So you really have to know what you’re dealing with, what model year and make of car, when we’re looking at that information to get us to where we can stabilize that incident,” Hedstrom said. Hedstrom said some cars have QR codes in the door for their guide, but said that might not be accessible depending on the scenario. He said it would be nice to have an app to access all the guides directly. The intensity of the fire is also dependent on how much charge is in the battery, and if a wrecked electric vehicle is sent to the junkyard with a battery with charge still left, it can reignite, Hedstrom said. He cited a story where a Tesla had been in a junkyard for three weeks and spontaneously burst into flames, and kept reigniting, with responders finally digging a hole in which to submerge the car to finally extinguish the fire. Putting out electric vehicle fires also takes more water, thousands of gallons as opposed to the hundreds it takes for gas powered cars, and Hedstrom said this could pose an issue in rural parts of the state. Another risk posed in fire response to electric vehicles is the risk of battery run-off ending up in the soil with all the water needed to respond to these fires. Specialized equipment could help reduce the amount of water needed, like a vehicle fire blanket, which is used to smother the fire by reducing oxygen. But it comes at a price, with single use blankets coming in at $1,550 each. Multi-use blankets cost $2,600, but Hedstrom said the carcinogens trapped in the blanket after one use are hard to get out. There’s a tool used to cool down the battery, which requires less water in the response, but there’s still a chance for re-ignition, and it costs around $30,000, Hedstrom said. In a work session after the presentation, legislators discussed potential steps forward. Sen. Theresa Manzella, R-Hamilton, said her concern was navigating what the obligation to safety is between manufacturers, and the state. Sen. Mike Fox, D-Hays, said license plates could be fitted to alert first responders the vehicle’s electric vehicle status. Sen. Barry Usher, R-Billings, said it could be a box to check when someone registers their car. Rep. Denley Loge, R-St. Regis, who has led the charge in preparing the state for electric vehicles, said he wanted to continue discussing the topic. 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