WQOW TV: Eau Claire, WI NEWS18 News, Weather, and SportsHybrid Cars Can Be Dangerous For First Responders
Member Center:
Eau Claire (WQOW) -- New technology is bringing new dangers for local first responders.
That is why seminars are being held for area firefighters and EMS crews at CVTC.
Friday, the participants got a first hand look at the electrical hazards newer hybrid cars can pose.
The systems in hybrid cars use up to 500 volts, and by next year, as much as 1,000 volts. In a crash, rescuers need to know how to safely disable the electrical systems to avoid being shocked. And it's not just hybrid technology local crews must keep up with.
"We're used to working with gasoline and we have a pretty good handle on putting out fires, car fires, that involve gasoline. But now they're going with ethanol fuels which puts a whole new perspective on firefighting and then the hydrogen is going to change that even more so," says Scott Burkart, ECFD Division Training Chief.
Auto manufacturers have also changed the strengh of the steel they use. Many local firefighters' equipment cannot cut through it after a crash. Friday, they also learned how to cut around the stronger metal. The seminars will continue all day Saturday.
