EV fires a hot topic

 Global EV fire safety experts host Drive Electric’s Electric Responder LIVE training for first responders and charging station and unit owners in early September.

Emma Sutcliffe and Dan Fish host the sessions at 12 workshops in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, and will also participate in Drive Electric industry EV events in Wellington and one online.

Their visit is timely following reports of an electric scooter fire which prompted the evacuation of an Auckland apartment block and a possible ban in Korea on EV charging in underground carparks.

“Lithium-ion batteries in road-registered electric vehicles rarely catch fire, but EVs are involved in collisions in New Zealand,” says EV FireSafe director and firefighter Sutcliffe.

“There’s enormous uncertainty around how to manage those incidents safely in the global emergency response community, so we’re using this live event to launch our training program, which is called Electric Responder.”

 “Our firefighters, road rescuers, paramedics, police, roadside assist and tow drivers will gain an in-depth understanding of our IAIIM EVABC procedure, learn how to recognise a battery fire and incident management methods, all of which will support their ongoing learning as EV adoption continues to grow.”

Funded by the Australian Department of Defence and referenced by a global network of experts, EV manufacturers and emergency agencies, EV FireSafe provides data-driven learnings that enhance the safety of civilian and military emergency responders managing incidents involving EVs, with a focus on those occurring at EV charging hubs. 

Fish, a career firefighter and qualified mechanic, is an expert in decarbonising transport from an emergency response perspective.

“We are so pleased to welcome Emma and Dan to Aotearoa so they can share their knowledge with the EV ecosystem, as part of the Drive Electric Winter Series,” says Drive Electric chair Kirsten Corson.

First responders can book workshops here and those interested in EV charger safety can book here.