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GM Expanding EV First Responder Training In U.S. And Canada

GM will expand its training for first responders in the United States and Canada, providing fire services personnel instruction on how to support emergency situations involving current electric vehicles like the Chevy Bolt EV and GMC Hummer EV.

GM’s EV First Responder Training effort includes live presentations and other training formats like expert presentations, videos, animations and virtual demonstrations. The automaker has already hosted pilot events in southeast Michigan and has plans to expand its outreach to more regions in Michigan, as well as Fort Worth, Texas, New York City and Southern California. GM EV First Responder Training personnel will also be on hand at the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ Fire-Rescue International conference in San Antonio this coming August and the Fire Department Instructors Conference in Indianapolis in April of 2023.

GM says its EV-focused training program will include materials and curriculum developed with active members of public safety communities, delivered over a four-hour block of instruction. The program will also visit multiple venues including fire houses, training academies, regional learning centers and vehicle dealerships. The coursework for the training sessions will be accounted for by a Certificate of Educational Achievement for first responders, while a Certificate of Completed Training through the Illinois Fire Service Institute will also be available to participants who complete a hands-on training course.

The National Fire Protection Association has already trained roughly 300,000 first responders on similar EV guidelines, but estimates there are a further 800,000 in the country who still need instruction.

“The best way for the public and private vehicle fleet owners to rapidly adopt EVs is to train firefighters and emergency responders on how to handle incidents involving battery-powered vehicles,” said Andrew Klock, senior manager of education and development for the NFPA. “The fire service has had more than 100 years to gain the knowledge needed to respond to internal combustion engine fires, and it is critical that they are now educated on EV safety.”

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Comments

  1. Sad isn’t it. If they catch on fire in your enclosed garage all the in the training in the world want help. I have heard rumors that home owners insurance folks are concerned. The first time it happens,not unlike airplanes that crash, they will be warning EV owners to stand down leave them outside until further notice.

    Reply
    1. Rare that they will catch on fire. Very rare. Ice cars catch fire a lot. Gas is very volatile. Insurance companies that I have called here in Montreal are not very concerned. I will park my EV in the garage as soon as I get it. Good luck with your smelly and noisy ICE vehicle.

      Reply
      1. OK Kretch, you’re dead wrong, Per Capita (if you can comprehend that ) EV’s with LIthium batteries on board are statistically far, far more prone to spontaneously combust than gas or diesel fueled vehicles. It most commonly occurs during re-charging. Our SIL ( he’s the Chief Engineer for a large FD in the surrounding area of greater Metro Indianapolis, Indiana ) had First Responder training over 10 years ago regarding EV accidents. They are not only a life-threatening hazard to First Responders and the occupants of the EV but also to anyone in any vehicle that is in contact with them. EV’s are so comparatively heavy ( GVW ) that they are like a battering ram to any “normal” vehicle if the EV is the vehicle that initiated the collision and struck other vehicles or structures. NHTSA is prevented from releasing those findings because it might hurt Joey’s Agenda.

        Reply
  2. KRETCH,

    Tell it the owners of the FELICITY ACE that went down with 4000 cars on board. An EZ Porsche caught fire below deck. They eventually were able to put the fire out but she began to list to starboard and went down. The loss was massive. Wonder if insurance will pay?

    Reply
    1. A mid-Atlantic blast exacerbated by electric vehicles
      In mid-February 2022, the 650-foot-long Felicity Ace carrying about 4,000 cars across the Atlantic caught fire. The cargo ship was traveling from Germany to the U.S. Fortunately, all 22 crew members were able to be evacuated off the ship without harm.
      Though not blamed for starting the fire, batteries from luxury cars on board like Porsches and Bentleys may have intensified the blast by keeping the fire alive. Lithium-ion fires burn at higher temperatures, even known to melt the pavement below.
      João Mendes Cabeças (captain of the nearest port in the Azorean island of Faial) said the cause of the fire was unclear, but specialty equipment was needed to extinguish the blaze, Insider reports.
      A big part of the fire that kept burning involved the batteries from the crammed electric vehicles on board. According to Insider, “the vessel remain[ed] smoldering off the coast of Portugal’s Azores islands.”

      There is no mention of insurance but I’m sure VW group took out insurance for this transport. Anyone without insurance for home , car, life and travel is taking a huge chance.

      Reply
  3. gm stock will be in the twenty’s by the end of the day.

    Reply
    1. No matter what EV proponents say, electric vehicles and their use in our current fossil fuel dependent society, are far from being perfected. Eventually vehicles will be powered by a different energy source. As for now, EVs are no more than an experimental toy that the auto manufacturers are in using to appease the current administration. As in many changes in the automotive world a lot are caused by outside forces. I doubt, if the truth be known, GM like the others could care less and neither do the stock holders. Only the bottom line counts.

      Reply
      1. Electric cars have bee around much before your latest administration. They are not appeasing anyone. You have no idea what you are talking about. You probably don’t like change. The world changes everyday.

        Reply
  4. Funny how Tesla doesn’t benchmark gm EV’s!

    Reply
  5. One day someone will drive an EV Silverado, or any Type EV out to their camp house in the country just to prove their value. Suppose the batteries overheat and catch fire. Then the dry grass. Then the trees. Then 35 thousand acres go up up in smoke. Homes are lost and even lives perish in the inferno. That loss will make the loss of the cargo ship Felicity Ace seem very insignificant. Maybe it will never happen. I hope not.

    Reply
  6. Hey Smokie, you should have continued the story. The inferno is very close to a nuclear plant and wouldn’t you know it blows up and millions of people die. Most outdoor fires are caused by lightning and idiots who throw cigarettes onto dry ground. Statistics show that very few EV`s catch fire. ICE cars on the other hand catch fire quite often.

    Reply
  7. Have heard several times over the years to cut battery cables when an ICE vehicle starts to smolder. Wonder if isolating EV battery slows down a fire?

    Reply

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