For the last few years, electric vehicle (EV) fires have made national news headlines because of the unique and unknown challenges they present to firefighters, leading UL Research Institute’s Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI) to launch a research effort to understand the mitigation and safety concerns.
Adam Barowy, a principal research engineer with FSRI, details the three-year effort to document EV fires and help fire departments develop operating guidelines as well as raise awareness to firefighter health and safety concerns. He explains the steps that FSRI took to conduct test burns, what stakeholders were involved and the processes in which they conducted test burns.
Barowy and Peter Matthews discuss the tactics needed, along with research findings on EV fire blankets, plus concerns for life safety when vehicles are burning inside occupied structures. The two discuss the impacts of the smoke on firefighter health and what impacts the smoke has on PPE.
While completing the report, FSRI developed an EV Fire Tactical Decision Aid that provides responding firefighters with a look at tactics and guides decisions during EV fire emergencies.
Related links:
- Researchers Release Evidence-Based EV Battery Fire Response Considerations
- New FSRI Study Details What Firefighters Need to Know About EV Fires
- Electric Vehicle Fire Tactical Decision Aid
- Adam Barowy’s Firehouse.com contributor page
