FINAL GPSJ Summer edition 2024 ONLINE VERSION.2pdf - Flipbook - Page 45
TRANSPORT
GPSJ
Thatcham Research helps Royal Berkshire
Fire and Rescue Service practice safe EV
extrication
• Green Watch crews
from Wokingham and
Theale practiced rapid
extrication scenarios
from an Electric
Vehicle (EV) during
thermal runaway
• The crews also
removed the roof
of a vehicle to safely
free trapped casualties
• These scenarios are
crucial in preparing
crews for handling
EVs which require
unique training to
handle safely
Thatcham Research recently
welcomed Royal Berkshire Fire
and Rescue Service (RBFRS)
to its Berkshire HQ to enhance
its crews’ incident response
approach to modern vehicles.
The Thatcham Research crash team
provided and prepared a modern
vehicle, previously used for research
projects and safety tests, to simulate
real-life emergency scenarios.
Initially, the Electric Vehicle (EV)
was placed on its side to allow
first responders to practice a ‘rapid
extrication’ scenario when the High
Voltage (HV) battery had gone into
thermal runaway.
This can occur when the HV
battery in an EV is damaged or
experiences an internal failure and
begins to burn. During thermal
runaway, the EV battery will
burn at an accelerated rate and
become extremely hot, presenting
a challenging situation for our
emergency services.
This simulated scenario helped the
RBFRS crews refine their techniques
for quickly and safely rescuing
occupants from a damaged EV.
Following this, the crews
experimented with new equipment
designed to improve rescue
operations and more effectively deal
with some of the high tensile steels
found in newer vehicles.
Firefighters on Green Watch
practiced removing the roof of the
car and pushing the dashboard
away from the occupants’ legs,
ensuring they could efficiently
free trapped individuals in various
collision scenarios.
Sean Hoad, senior engineer for
passive safety & instrumentation at
automotive risk intelligence company
Thatcham Research, said: “I am
pleased we could support the Royal
Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
For more information on
Thatcham Research EV
training, please visit our
website: www.thatcham.org
GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SECTOR JOURNAL SUMMER 2024
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