A Thatcham-based car risk intelligence company recently supported crews from the Wokingham and Theale fire stations with a training exercise to enhance their response to dealing with incidents involving modern vehicles.
Thatcham Research welcomed Green Watch crews to its Berkshire HQ where the crash team provided and prepared electric vehicles previously used for research, to give first responders a simulation of real-life emergency situations.
“I’m pleased we could support the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said the company’s senior engineer for passive safety and instrumentation Sean Hoad. “As the number of EVs on our roads increases each year, undertaking training like this is a crucial step in ensuring that our emergency services remain prepared and protected.”
Exercises included placing the car on its side to allow crews to practise a ‘rapid extrication’ scenario where the high voltage battery had gone into thermal runaway, which can occur when the vehicle is damaged or suffers an internal failure. During this time, the battery will burn at an accelerated rate and become extremely hot, presenting a challenging situation for first responders.
This simulation gave crews the chance to refine their techniques for quickly and safely rescuing occupants from a damaged vehicle.
Next crews were able to experiment with new equipment designed to improve rescue operations and more effectively deal with some of the high tensile steels found in newer vehicles.
They practised removing the roof of the car and pushing the dashboard away from occupants’ legs, ensuring they could free someone trapped from various collision scenarios.
“Thatcham Research is proud to offer its facilities and expertise to first responders, helping them to understand the types of technologies found on modern vehicles and the safest way to work with them,” said Sean. “Electric Vehicles, for example, require unique training on safe handling techniques following a road traffic collision.
“Time is of the essence in the immediate aftermath of a road traffic collision, so it’s vital that first responders are confident when working around high voltage vehicles, including how to ensure the vehicle is powered down and the location of safe cutting points.”
Adam Brailsford, watch manager at Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “This training exercise allowed our Green Watch crews from Wokingham and Theale fire stations to test our operational response to incidents involving Electric Vehicles and similar, emerging vehicle technologies.
“I would like to thank the staff at Thatcham Research for allowing us to use their testing facilities to undertake this important training exercise and I look forward to sharing our findings more widely across the Service.”
