Dales Cornwall has held a training session with three officers from Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service on electric vehicles.
The group was given an intimate tour of the Renault Zoe, exploring the electrical circuits, powertrain and the battery compartments.
Renault and Dacia service manager at Dales Renault in Scorrier, Nick Ward, said: “Fires on electric vehicles are extremely rare, but the volatile chemistry of their batteries highlights the need for specialist training on how to extinguish them. Techniques for putting out burning petrol or diesel vehicles could worsen a blaze in a battery powered one.”
According to statistics there are currently offer 3 million EVs on the road around the world, but that is likely to reach 125 million by 2030 with the change of international governmental policies and the move from fossil fuels.
Nick Jones, watch manager at Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service Training Centre, said: “Moving on from the traditional fuelled cars, like petrol and diesel, both these fully electric cars and the hybrid models represent new dangers and we need to raise awareness amongst our crews.
“We’ve been talking with the technicians here about how best to approach the car after an accident, what to look out for and what not to touch. We’ve also gone through different scenarios such as fire and flooding, which has really raised our awareness and will help us to design a training package for our staff.”
