JOHN COFFELTEditor

Hillsboro Volunteer Fire Department noted some concern during the Health, Welfare and Recreation Committee meeting on April 23 about how firefighters will respond in the event of an electric vehicle lithium battery fire.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, lithium fire hard to extinguish in the first place, they are extremely prone to reigniting out of nowhere, sometimes days after the initial fire.

“Somebody is going to have an issue with an electric car,” HVFD Chief Brandon Gunn said. “We’ve all had the conversation, and I figure us or North Coffee (Volunteer Fire Department) will be the first because of the Interstate.”

Electronic vehicles fires are not all necessarily more difficult to extinguish than conventional vehicles. The problems arise when the lithium batteries ignite.

“It’s really no different than any other car out there, if (the crash) doesn’t penetrate the battery compartment,” Gunn said.

He said that he’s seen news reports of responding firefighters fighting lithium fires using 45,000 gallons of water to extinguish the blaze.

“If I’m on the side of the interstate…we don’t have hydrants there. I don’t know where I’m going to get 45,000 gallons of water. There isn’t enough water in this county for that,” Gunn said.

Unfortunately, there’s still not enough information out there.

The state firefighter academy has a four-hour class on EV fires, but according to Gunn, that class is still pretty basic.

Technology and techniques are being developed worldwide to fight lithium fires, yet, according to Gunn the US is behind foreign fire departments.

One technique being developed in Germany is to fill a roll off dumpster with water and submerge the vehicle.

Products like fire blankets or piercing nozzles are being manufactured.

Spaying water on the batteries can create an electrocution hazard, and potentially an environmental one. And chemicals flushed from the battery would be difficult to contain with large amounts of water being sprayed on the scene.

Gunn said that there are instances of EV igniting days after the crash at the salvage yard from thermal runaway. Thermal runaway is a phenomenon in which the lithium-ion cell enters an uncontrollable, self-heating state. These can occur from overcharging a lithium battery, multiple overdischarges followed by charge, external short circuit and high- and low-temperature environments, according to UL Research Institute.

EVS charged near or inside a home could present a structure fire hazard, Gunn said. While not an EV fire, the Coffee County Rescue Squad December fire was, according to Chief Neil Simmons, started by a battery on board an ambulance.

Gunn said that the bigger batteries on electric semi-trucks or busses would be even harder to extinguish.

Coffee County Schools Director of Transportation Tim Morris said that all the district’s busses are diesel.

Coffee County contracts with the two municipalities’ fire departments to handle emergency extrication calls. The rural fire departments do respond to vehicle fires.

HVFD receives fire marshal grant

Gunn said that the HVFD recently received a grant from the state fire marshal’s office for $48,900 that the department will use for a specially designed laundry equipment to wash firefighter’s turnout gear.

Firefighters’ iconic protective clothing provide a barrier to the heat and smoke personnel would be exposed to. These, unfortunately, retain carcinogenic chemicals on them that can transmit contaminates after they leave the scene.

Chairman of HWR Jimmy Hollandsworth said that the purchase will benefit the department by them not having to send firefighters’ turnout gear to Williamson County to be cleaned.

“I think we can get nine sets of turnout gear from the extra,” Gunn said. “With this new sets of gear, this will allow more of the guys to have two sets. It’s nice when your (responding to a call) at 2 a.m. to have a clean seat of gear.”

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.