Hybrids are self-contained units that use both electric motor(s) and an internal combustion engine (ICE) to propel the vehicle.  The high voltage battery is recharged through power taken from the ICE and through a process called regenerative braking that captures energy from the braking process.  Both of these methods ensure that the user never has to consciously make an effort to charge the battery, it’s done automatically.

Plug-in hybrids are simply an offshoot of that concept; they allow for a connection to be made to a Level I or Level II charging station for another charging source for the high voltage battery.  These vehicles also include a larger capacity battery to store that extra energy and improve the overall energy efficiency of the vehicle.  In the event that you cannot connect to a charger, the high voltage battery is recharged through the same means as a standard hybrid.  Ironically enough when hybrids first were released, there was a concern among manufacturers that people would not understood that they did not need to be plugged in.  A decade later that concept has become more acceptable to the general public and the plug-in hybrid was born.

There is essentially no difference for the first responder in how we handle these vehicles in an emergency situation.  Both types contain a high voltage power source and an internal combustion engine with a fuel source and should be treated as such.  The only real difference would occur if the plugin hybrid was attached to the charging station at the time of the incident.  In this case you would want to secure the power source supplying the charging station as a first step in mitigating the scene.

As always, be sure to use the Identify, Immobilize and Disable approach on all vehicles and assume there is a potential to be dealing with a hybrid or electric vehicle when approaching a crash or fire scene.

Stay Safe,Jason

The Mitsubishi MiEV prior to the shoot

NFPA recently spent the day filming a training video while EV Instructor, Ron Moore, performed an extrication demonstration on a new Mitsubishi MiEV. During the video, Ron also described initial response procedures, disabling procedures, as well as showing the locations of the high voltage battery and components, 12 volt battery, fuse boxes and airbag inflators. If you wish to learn more about the new MiEV prior to the release of this informational training video, the same information can be found in our Emergency Field Guide!

The Mitsubishi MiEV after Ron was done filming!

  Video courtesy of Moditech Rescue Solutions

As the hybrid and electric vehicle market continues to grow, these new hazards and challenges are presented to responders daily. Make sure you and your colleagues are prepared to respond to incidents involving high-voltage components. To learn more about the about shutdown procedures for hybrid and electric vehicles, take NFPA's EV Safety Training online now!

NFPA representatives went to the State Police Academy in Albany yesterday to launch an Electric Vehicle Safety Training for Law Enforcement course. Troopers from the New York State Police, the first law enforcement officers in the nation to receive this specialized training, were given the opportunity to learn more about best practices for responding to emergency situations involving electric and hybrid vehicles. With high-voltage vehicles becoming more and more popular, all responders -- including police officers -- face unique challenges when these vehicles are involved in a crash. In an effort to prepare troopers from across the state, NFPA trained 40 New York State Police Instructors at this train-the-trainer session. Those NYSP Instructors will now propagate the course, teaching recommended response procedures and emergency operations to their fellow troopers and recruits.

NFPA also provided each participant with an emergency response quick reference card like this for their patrol car. Stay tuned, because these QRCs for Law Enforcement will be available for purchase in NFPA's online catalog this winter!

"The scene was nothing unusual" the Captain explained.  "The hybrid crashed into the side of the other vehicle.  Most of the damage to the Prius was on the front left corner" he said. "My ambulance crew made patient contact with both drivers and determined that there were no injuries. They were busy filling out the patient refusal forms."

What happened next was unusual for this experienced fire/rescue officer; an interesting twist that this real world incident from Pennsylvania took.  As the Captain was conducting his walk-around scene survey, he came close to the passenger side of the hybrid and suddenly stopped.  Puzzled by a sound
he heard coming from the engine compartment area, he shouted across the car to the driver, “I thought you said you turned the ignition off?”  The reply from the vehicle’s owner, ‘I did!’ was not what he expected.  Puzzled by a sound that resembled “a cooling fan hitting something“, he walked around the rear of the hybrid.  Just as he came around the car, the wiper on the rear hatchback glass operated back and forth one cycle. “This thing is still hot” he thought.

With the driver’s door open, he could clearly see that the dash-mounted POWER button was in the OFF condition; the small LED light was out.  The driver had pushed it once to shutdown the ignition as she stated.  As he glanced across the instrument panel however, he noticed all the gauges and dials were still lit and functioning.  Even the large screen in the center of the dash had a display on it.  Just at that time, the rear wiper made another pass across the hatchback glass.

“I applied the emergency brake and ordered the engine crew to work from the side to see if they could open the hood.”  At that time, realizing that an energized hybrid can unexpectedly move forward, he also had the engine company driver grab two wheel chocks and place them on the front drive wheels to prevent any movement.  The Captain went on to say “I told the firefighters to plan on shutting down the electric system.   I wanted this thing to go dark once and for all!”

What makes this case study so intriguing is that when additional units arrived, it was easy for them to access the hatchback area and uncover the 12volt battery.  Through training on electric and hybrid
vehicles, the Captain knew that the battery they were looking for would either be in the front engine compartment area or in the trunk.  Since this was a crash-damaged Toyota Prius, the Captain directed the second crew to attack the rear of the hybrid.

With relief that the 12volt battery was so quickly located in the rear wheelwell, the Captain felt that shutting this car down was just two cuts away.  To his disbelief, when the firefighter double cut the black ground cable to the 12volt battery and then even removed the positive cable, the noise in the front continued as well as the wiper kept up its regular pace of wiping across the hatchback glass.  Sure enough, his glance in through the driver’s door confirmed that even the instrument panel and all interior dash lights were still illuminated.  “How could that be?” he thought.  “The battery is completely disconnected.”

Perplexed, but not giving up, the Captain remembered that in training and in some of the hybrid and electric emergency response guides he had looked at, there was mention of some sort of fuses that could be used in an extreme situation. The challenge of shutting down this hybrid clearly was one of those ‘extreme’ situations to this crew and officer.  Frustration was mounting and the risk to everyone on scene was clearly evident.

Working from the side, the hood hinges were cut and the hood opened forward.  No one had to stand in front of the energized hybrid even though the front drive wheels were chocked and the parking brake set ‘ON’.  No sense of increasing the risk to his crew, he thought to himself.

The fuses in the engine compartment of this 2^nd generation Prius are clearly
visible once the plastic fuse panel cover is removed.

With the engine compartment components now visible, the Captain started to pull, “all the relays and fuses I could see!” To his relief, once all the large fuses in the engine compartment were removed, the noise stopped and the vehicle did shut down. 

In NFPA’s Electric Vehicle Safety Training project, information about shutting down a crash-damaged hybrid or electric plug-in vehicle is presented.  The training, which is now available online as well as in-person through state fire academies, provides every emergency response guide produced by the car manufacturers and explains steps for turning off the ignition and shutting down the 12volt electric power by disconnection or cutting 12volt battery cables. This detail is also included in the latest version of NFPA’s EV Emergency Field Guide. In a situation such as this case study, where doing the right thing still did not give the desired results, knowing about pulling fuses was critical.  Pulling fuses on hybrids or electric plug-ins is not something that a responder would normally think of. 

We don’t pull fuses at our routine crash incidents involving conventional vehicles so we do not think about this special procedure.  With a crash incident involving a hybrid or electric plug-in however, knowing about this alternative; one of our newest back-up plans for hybrid and electric vehicle power shutdown, may be a life saver. 

The fuse panel of this crash-damaged hybrid is exposed.  Although not normally necessary, responders should be trained and prepared to remove fuses as one means of shutting down an energized hybrid or electric plug-in vehicle

Visit www.evsafetytraining.org to review training materials provided by automakers, participate in the online electric vehicle training, sign up for an online EV Safety blog, and access additional training resources from the NFPA.

By
Ron Moore, NFPA Fire Service Training Consultant
Rmoore@firehouse.com

Last Thursday, for the third consecutive year, the NFPA and SAE partnered to bring representatives from government, the auto industry, and emergency services together to discuss Electric Vehicle Safety initiatives. 

One of the key presentations affecting first responders was given by Todd Macintosh, a GM Technical Specialist for their Global Vehicle Electrification program.  Todd spoke as Chair of the J2990 Task Force - Hybrid and EV Recommendations for First and Second Responders and gave an update the groups’ work. I served with Todd on this group and see it as a significant step in addressing the concerns of emergency responder personnel with the OEMs. This document should be published soon and will act as a guiding document for OEMs on items such as identification, systems shutdown features, etc. 

Other presentations such as Ken Willette’s overview of the NFPA’s analysis on OEM electrical PPE requirements and Casey Grant’s synopsis of the research that the Fire Protection Research Foundation will be conducting on the burning of high voltage batteries gave important insight on the work being done on behalf of first responders.  Additionally, Ron Moore, discussed high frequency, low severity emergencies for the NFPA EV Safety Program, and I spoke about the types of obstacles we must overcome at extrication operations, HEV and EV specific concerns, and on feedback from emergency personnel as to what we would like to see included in vehicle designs. Both of these presentations were geared towards educating the OEMs on operations at the emergency scene and how vehicle designs impact those operations.

I am looking forward to next year’s summit as a way to continue building awareness of HEVs and EVs in the first responder community.  The summit also serves as a way to have our concerns heard so that we can have a positive impact on future vehicle designs.

NFPA started a nationwide training tour last summer and has already trained thousands of first responders in the classroom. Now the same content is available on your computer. This dynamic online training course includes all the same topics covered in the classroom:

• Introduction to hybrid and electric vehicles
• Basic electrical concepts
• Vehicle systems and charging stations
• Identification methods
• Immobilization process
• Disabling procedures
• Extrication operations
• Fires
• Submersions
• Incidents involving charging stations
• High voltage battery damage

The online, self-paced program is designed to provide first responders with the tools and information they need to safely handle emergency situations involving EVs, PHEVs, and charging stations. Be prepared to respond!

• National Plug in Day electrified 65 cities across the nation
• Join us in San Diego for IACP 2012 EV
• Register for an upcoming EV Safety Training session
• Can't make it to classroom training?
• Emergency Field Guide available in both print and electronic formats
• NFPA's Electric Vehicle team will be heading to the Big Easy

Sign up today to receive our free monthly e-newsletter. It will keep you up to date on the latest information on NFPA’s project to help firefighters and other first responders prepare for the growing number of electric vehicles on the road in the United States.

During this EV train-the-trainer session, we will be teaching New York State Police trainers on how to instruct the 14,000 troopers, recruits and veterans that are serviced by their Academy each year. In addition to training State Police personnel, the Academy also provides instruction in areas of criminal investigation, forensics and other topical issues to members of other police departments and outside agencies who routinely look to the State Police for assistance.

This is the first of two sessions currently planned at the Academy. This all-day training, specifically designed and adapted for law enforcement personnel involved in emergency response and post-crash investigations, will consist of both a classroom portion and a hands-on component - much like our Fire Service version of the training! Stay tuned for updates to learn more about our other law enforcement EV training products, scheduled for release later this year.

Register 3-5 people right now for the 3-Day Conference and you’ll receive a discount off each registration. Register 6 or more people and receive an even greater discount off each registration prices, so act now! Swing by booth #1626 to learn more about all our EV training products and how they can help prepare you for emergency situations.