Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Rescue Workers Say Hybrid Cars A Danger

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 04 May 2004 19:42:08 -0400

Updated: 05-04-2004 03:05:57 PM
Rescue Workers Say Hybrid Cars A Danger

PATRICK WALTERS
Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The growing popularity of hybrid vehicles is a step
toward cleaner air and less dependence on gasoline. But for rescuers at
accident scenes, they represent a potential new danger: a network of
high-voltage circuitry that may require some precise cutting to save a
trapped victim.

``You don't want to go crushing anything with hydraulic tools,'' said
Samuel Caroluzzi, an assistant chief with the Norristown Fire Department
outside Philadelphia. ``It's enough to kill you from what they're
telling us in training.''

Hybrids draw power from two sources, typically a gas or diesel engine
combined with an electric motor. The battery powering the electric motor
carries as much as 500 volts, more than 40 times the strength of a
standard battery.
That worries those who must cut into cars to rescue people inside.

``If you can't shut it down, you don't know where the high voltage is,''
said David Dalrymple, an emergency medical technician in New Brunswick,
N.J.

Manufacturers have put in place a laundry list of safety checks that the
car's computer must go through for the electrical system to run. They've
published guides showing where the electric components are on their
models; on the Toyota Prius and other hybrids, the high-power cables are
colored bright orange to catch the eye of a rescue worker or a mechanic.

But there are concerns over what happens if something goes wrong and the
battery, ignition and other points are inaccessible.
``It's the 'what-if' that worries me,'' said David Castiaux, an
instructor for Mid-Del Technology Center in Del City, Okla., who teaches
rescue workers about hybrids.

Chris Peterson, a service training instructor for Toyota, said the
Prius' electric system should shut down if anything goes wrong. ``There
should not be high voltage in those cables, but I'm not going to stand
up and say there isn't,'' he said.
First responders are taught to disconnect the battery and turn off the
key immediately before cutting into a car, but that's not always
possible.

``Years ago you could just cut with your extrication tools through a
post, but now you have to look before you cut,'' said Ken Nelsen, chief
of the Iselin Fire Department District 11 in Woodbridge Township, N.J.
``It's just another thing you need to worry about.''

When air bags started becoming more common in the 1980s, rescue workers
became aware of their potential to seriously injure or kill when
inflated.  Those concerns have been heightened now that the safety
devices are being installed in side panels, seats and other areas.

Concerns about hybrids are increasing in large part because of their
growing popularity. Sales have risen at an average annual rate of 88.6
percent since 2000 and recent figures show the number of Americans
driving them jumped more than 25 percent from 2002 to 2003.

The Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius are common now and more are on
the way: hybrid versions of the Ford Escape, Honda Accord and Lexus SUV
this year, and a Toyota Highlander in 2005.

The Alachua County Fire Rescue in Gainesville, Fla., even has two
hybrids of its own. Although its crews haven't had to deal with a hybrid
crash, they've been getting versed on what to do when it happens, said
Cliff Chapman, assistant chief.

They know not to cut into a hybrid's doors - that's where many of the
cables are - and to peel off the roof instead. They also now operate
under the assumption that a car is energized, wearing rubber gloves and
boots.
Manufacturers say they will continue to keep rescue personnel up to date
on their hybrids. But they also contend that hybrids can be seen as
safer than regular cars.

``Everybody's concerned about the electrical side, but could you imagine
if we tried to bring gasoline out today as a motor fuel?'' Peterson
said.

http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/article.jsp?sectionId=46&id=29871

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