MURFREESBORO, TN  - One of the fears faced by emergency workers today involves one of the main ingredients in something the government has been promoting—lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles… That was Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Chief Mark McCluskey.  The chief confirmed that his crews have responded to vehicle crashes involving electric vehicles (EV’s), but they have not encountered any incidents involving batteries on electric vehicles exploding, as reported by departments in other cities… 

Lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles (EVs) are known to burn hotter than most fires and can release toxic chemicals such as hydrogen fluoride and hydrogen cyanide. These fires can be difficult to extinguish. In the past 12 months, there have been documented cases of tractor-trailer trucks hauling lithium-ion batteries being involved in accidents, leading to the batteries catching fire and officials having to completely shut down interstates in some cities. Shutdowns lasted for up to 40 hours because it took about two days for the batteries to stop burning.

There are a large array of new tools being introduced to fire fighters and other emergency responders… One of the tools goes under EV’s…

In other technology news, with nearly 20 trained and licensed drone pilots working at the fire department, MFRD recently received the green light to purchase three additional drones.… Drones have proven their value time and time again…

Like other industries, robots are now being implemented; however, they are not being used locally, as Chief McCluskey noted… Again, robots are not being implemented by MFRD at this time, and there is no current discussion about using robots in the near future. 

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More on Lithium-Ion Battery Fires: Late last year, there were multiple fires across the nation involving EVs powered by lithium-ion batteries, as well as fires involving semi-trucks hauling such batteries. One of the fires involved a tractor-trailer truck that wrecked in California. The big rig was carrying a total of six industrial-grade lithium-ion batteries that went up in flames.

Reports indicate that the crash in California shut down I-15, which serves as the main artery between Las Vegas, Nevada, and the Los Angeles, California, area. Emergency crews had to shut down the interstate for more than 40-hours while firefighters fought the blaze this past July. The fire resulted in lost revenue for businesses that were originally destinations for drivers, with a large number of travelers missing their pre-scheduled flights at nearby airports because they were unable to reach them in time. Additionally, there was a loss of revenue for packages that arrived more than 2-days late due to the fire blocking the interstate.