Firefighters face new challenges battling electric vehicle battery fires
This week, our KMBC 9 Investigates team dives into how firefighters are adapting to battle electric vehicle fires. Reporter Matt Flener joins us to discuss the investigation and how you can stay safe.
THEY’RE KNOWN, ARE BILLED AS THE WAVE OF THE FUTURE, A WAY TO FREE SOCIETY FROM FOSSIL FUEL AND AS TECHNOLOGY AND AFFORDABILITY HAS PROGRESSED, POPULARITY HAS AS WELL. IN FACT, EV SALES SHOT UP NEARLY 50% IN THE LAST QUARTER, ACCORDING TO ESTIMATES FROM KELLEY BLUE BOOK AND EVS, MADE UP NEARLY 8% OF ALL CAR SALES BETWEEN JULY AND SEPTEMBER. THAT’S A RECORD. AND ALL OF THIS IS HAPPENING FAIRLY QUICKLY. IT’S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER, THOUGH, THE NEW RISKS THAT COME WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY. YOU NO DOUBT SEEN THE STORIES OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE FIRES. THEY ARE VERY RARE, BUT CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS. AND THEY’RE EVEN CHANGING THE WAY FIREFIGHTERS ARE WORKING TO PROTECT YOU AND THEMSELVES. THIS IS A DRAGON THAT ATE A BOMB. YOU’RE TALKING ANYWHERE FROM 1500 TO 3000 DEGREES IMMEDIATELY COMING OUT OF THE SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE BATTERY ITSELF, IN MOST MODELS IS NOT IN A HANDY PLACE. IT’S IN THE FLOOR PAN. SO WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO GET UNDER THAT VEHICLE WITH OUR WATER STREAMS TO AFFECT THE COOLING. AND THIS IS JUST ONE RISK. KMBC NINE INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER MATT FLEENER IS WATCHING. MATT IS HERE TO DISCUSS HIS INVESTIGATION. THANKS FOR DOING THIS. WE ARE KIND OF IN THIS THIS BRAVE NEW WORLD, RIGHT, WHERE EVS ARE BECOMING MORE AND MORE POPULAR. BUT WHAT STRUCK ME IS THE WAY THE THE WORLD HAS TO ADAPT TO THESE CHANGES. YEAH, ESPECIALLY FIREFIGHTERS. RIGHT? THAT’S WHY WE’RE DOING THIS STORY OF FIREFIGHTERS ARE REALLY HAVING TO CHANGE SOME OF THEIR METHODS IS CHANGE SOME OF THEIR THINKING AND REALLY TRAIN ON THESE NEW ELECTRIC VEHICLES THAT ARE OUT THERE. YOU KNOW, THE TRADITIONAL WAY TO, YOU KNOW, FIGHT A FIRE IS TO PUT WATER OVER THE TOP OF THE VEHICLE OR RIGHT ON THE VEHICLE. WELL, YOU HEARD CAPTAIN NICHOLS SAY THERE YOU GOT TO GO UNDER THE VEHICLE. NOW, MOST BATTERIES, A LOT OF BATTERIES ON ELECTRIC VEHICLES ARE UNDERNEATH. AND SO THEY HAVE TO PUT THAT WATER STREAM UNDERNEATH. AND AND IT SHOWS THE SERIOUSNESS OF THIS SITUATION. YOU HEARD HIS QUOTE, THE DRAGON THAT ATE A BOMB. IT’S HE’S TALKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE TEMPERATURE OF THESE FIRES BECAUSE THEY BURN VERY, VERY HOT. CAPTAIN NICHOLS SAYS EVS ARE VERY, VERY SAFE. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IF THEY DO CATCH FIRE, THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH THESE EXTRA STEPS AND THESE THESE EXTRA THINGS. THEY’VE BEEN TRAINING ON TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS SAFE IN THIS SITUATION. AGAIN, VERY RARE TO HAVE AN EV FIRE LIKE THIS. BUT BUT THEY HAVE TO PREPARE FOR IT. OH, THEY ABSOLUTELY DO. AND AND FIREFIGHTERS ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE DEALING WITH THIS NEW YORK OVER IN OVER IN CALIFORNIA. THEY’RE DEALING WITH THESE LITHIUM ION BATTERY FIRES. AND SO THEY’RE TAKING WHAT THEY’VE LEARNED IN THOSE SITUATIONS AND THOSE CITIES AND BRINGING THEM BACK HERE TO THE MIDWEST AND TRAINING HERE IN KANSAS CITY AND AND THE SURROUNDING REGION ON THIS. WHAT SURPRISED YOU ABOUT THIS? I THINK I THINK THE FACT THAT WE’RE SEEING RELATIVELY MORE FIRES, YOU KNOW, I SAY RELATIVELY BECAUSE THERE’S NOT A HUGE AMOUNT OF THESE FIRES. RIGHT. BUT BUT WE’RE STARTING TO SEE THESE THESE FIRES SHOW UP AGAIN ON THE COASTS AND OVERLAND HASN’T NECESSARILY HAD TO FIGHT ONE OF THESE FIRES YET, BUT THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY READY. THEY’RE ABSOLUTELY READY TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY THEY PUT THESE FIRES OUT AND NOT JUST ON THE ROADS, TOO, BECAUSE IN YOUR REPORT, YOU’RE LOOKING AT SOME HOME DANGERS AS WELL. WRIGHT LITHIUM ION BATTERY FIRES WITH SCOOTERS OR HOVERBOARDS. I KNOW MY KIDS HAVE THREE HOVERBOARDS AT HOME. AND AFTER THIS REPORTING THAT I DID, I IMMEDIATELY WENT HOME AND UNPLUG THOSE HOVERBOARDS FROM MY GARAGE. I DO NOT WANT THOSE HOVERBOARDS PLUGGED IN OVERNIGHT. THEY WERE VERY CAREFUL TO SAY, DO NOT GET AN AFTERMARKET CHARGER FOR FOR ONE OF THESE HOVERBOARDS BECAUSE THERE’S A LITTLE CHIP INSIDE THE THE CHARGER THAT COMES WITH THE HOVERBOARD ITSELF. THE MANUFACTURER RECOMMENDED CHARGER AND THAT REGULATES THE BATTERY THAT REGULATES THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY THAT’S GOING INTO THAT BATTERY. IF YOU IF YOU GET ONE OF THESE AFTERMARKET CHARGERS, THEY MAY NOT HAVE THAT CHIP INSIDE. AND THEREFORE, YOUR YOU KNOW, IT GETS REALLY HOT. HOVERBOARD CATCHES FIRE AND YOUR HOUSE IS UP IN FLAMES. AND THAT’S NOT A GOOD THING. RIGHT? IT’S NOT TAILOR MADE TO TO THE SPECIFIC PRODUCT. EXACTLY. YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY KNOWS ABOUT LITHIUM ION BATTERIES. I THINK FROM PLAINS. RIGHT? YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO CHECK THE LUGGAGE. BUT BUT THIS REALLY OPENS THE DOOR TO SOME OF THE OTHER RISKS, I THINK. I THINK THERE IS AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT’S JUST SOMETHING TO KNOW ABOUT. IT’S NOT SOMETHING TO BE IN FEAR ABOUT. WE SHOULDN’T ESTABLISH THIS CULTURE OF FEAR THAT EV EV FIRES ARE GOING TO HAPPEN EVERY SINGLE DAY. I THINK THAT THAT IS SOMETHING WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT. BUT FIREFIGHTERS DEFINITELY WANT TO KNOW THE RISKS. THEY WANT TO KNOW THAT THESE FIRES DEFINITELY BURN HOTTER. THEY’RE GOING TO BE IT’S GOING TO TAKE LONGER TO PUT OUT. AND THEY JUST HAVE TO KEEP PUTTING WATER ON THESE FIRES SOMETIMES FOR FOR MINUTES, EVEN HOURS, TO MAKE SURE THESE FIRES ARE OUT. WELL, MATT, WE APPRECIATE YOU SHINING A LIGHT ON THIS, MATT FLENER. THANK YOU. YOU CAN WATCH MATCH REPORT AS HE SHARES THESE RISKS AND THE BEST WAYS YOU CAN STAY SAFE. THURSDAY NIGHT ON KMBC NINE NEWS AT SIX. WE’LL BE RIGH
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Firefighters face new challenges battling electric vehicle battery fires
This week, our KMBC 9 Investigates team dives into how firefighters are adapting to battle electric vehicle fires. Reporter Matt Flener joins us to discuss the investigation and how you can stay safe.
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November 06, 2023 at 12:30AM
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Firefighters face new challenges battling electric vehicle battery fires - KMBC Kansas City
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