Beyond the Flames – New Technology Not Friendly to First Responders

As America continues its efforts to become a more environmentally friendly nation, there has been a massive increase in the amount of new technology in the automobile industry.
Whether it’s hybrid cars, electric-run engines, flex fuels, or various new safety and emissions features, most of the moves are aimed at making American cars more friendly to our global future.
But many of these new innovations aren’t so friendly to the emergency first responders who deal with them. In fact, many of the changes make dealing with a motor vehicle accident much more challenging than one involving a “traditional” vehicle.
For example, many hybrid cars have at least some form of battery system that stores energy and assists a part of the car’s main functions. Traditionally, the battery of a vehicle is located somewhere under the front hood.
This, however, is not always the case with hybrid vehicles, which have batteries located in a wide variety of places: In the trunk, under the rear seat, and under the back floor panel, to name a few.
Not only do some of these vehicles have batteries located in various spots, but many of them have numerous batteries, whether they be smaller, backup batteries or larger dual batteries. Often times vehicles with various batteries have them located in several different locations, making it extremely difficult to locate the power source.
It is important for responded to locate the battery in vehicles because disabling the power to a vehicle is one of the first steps on scene that are taken to ensure the safety of the responders and victims involved. The electric system within vehicles can cause problems if not disabled, such as premature airbag deployment, electrical shocking, and sparking that could ignite automotive fluids.
New safety innovations in regards to airbags have added increased worries for responders. Many newer model vehicles have compressed-air cylinders built directly into the door posts of vehicles, and are not visible to the naked eye in their normal positioning. The canisters can cause the airbag deployment to be delayed, putting a responder who is reaching in at risk.
Not only could it cause faulty airbag deployment, but since the canisters aren’t visible without the removal of the interior trim of the vehicle, the danger of cutting one of these cylinders arises. In addition, many of the newer vehicles are being built on frames made of high strength boron steel, which some traditional saws cannot cut through.
Firefighters must be able to locate the steel’s built-in cutting positions. These newer vehicles also typically have electrical system wiring running through or near the frame, which can cause problems if cut by crews.
While many new challenges arise from the innovations, there are several options for first responders to minimize the effects of the changing automobile industry available to them. Each manufacturer of hybrid vehicles typically releases information specifically geared towards fire responders, known as emergency response guides, or ERGs.
This information is available for free online from most manufacturers, and typically includes important information such battery, wiring, compressed air, and airbag locations.
While all of this is available for study and download, recalling everything on the scene of an accident isn’t a simple task. So, several technology manufacturers have developed programs that display diagrams of the vehicles and include exact cutting locations, as well as other important information pertaining to the particular vehicle. Many departments now have laptops with some form of this system installed in their rescue apparatus.
The technology of vehicle information has even come handheld. I have two different applications for my iPod Touch that identify the basic information needed to get started when arriving on the scene of a hybrid vehicle crash. These apps certainly aren’t an in-depth guide, but they can be very helpful to glance at when trying to locate the battery of a vehicle or any other obvious hazards.
Those of you interested in a free download of the app, search “hybrid vehicle extrication guide” in the iTunes store.
New innovations in automobile technology to make us more environmentally polite and safer might come as a nice welcome to you, but they pose impeding hazards on first responders. But, through endless training sessions and technology available, first responders will be able to continue providing quality response to your emergencies.
Knoll, 19, of Eldora, can be contacted by email at bknolljr4cmcherald @yahoo.com. He is a student at Rowan University.