New Car Technology Presents Dangers to First Responders
High-voltage cables, thicker steel and airbags in unconventional locations complicate rescuers' work.
By Claire_Martin Aug 10, 2012 1:05PM
The airbags, keyless ignitions and high-strength steel that have helped make cars safer for drivers and passengers in recent years pose threats to first responders, according to a report by USA Today. "They're designing cars for consumers, not for rescuers," California Fire Academy instructor Greg Rudiger recently told a group of trainees.
Academies like Rudiger's, in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., aren't just tasked with teaching firefighters how to pry accident victims from vehicles and avoid gasoline explosions, they must learn how to contend with tough-to-cut steel, multiple airbags with explosive propellant tanks, keyless ignitions that make it hard to know if the vehicle is still running, and hybrid and electric vehicles with high-voltage cables.
One hurdle with hybrid vehicles is that their designs are increasingly blending in with traditional fleets, so when first responders encounter them on the scene of an accident, they might not realize it. The "mild hybrid" Chevrolet Silverado pickup, for instance, has 50 volts of energy but looks just like the nonhybrid Silverado, which has 12 volts.
One solution is to apply safety labels to vehicles. Industry group SAE International has assembled a task force to create standardized labels for all electric and hybrid vehicles and a quick-reference guide for first responders that lists potential hazards.
If automakers took the initiative to point out dangers to first responders, that would help, too. First responders often train on older-model cars that don't have new technologies. But Kia, for one, has donated new vehicles to help firefighters train with state-of-the-art technology. As a Kia spokesman put it: "We need to tell them where all the hazards are."
[Source: USA Today]
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