Alternatively Fueled Vehicles

The manufacturers of alternatively fueled vehicles include a lot of safety features to make the operation of these vehicles safe. Nonetheless there are some different potential hazards that emergency responders have to deal with on the scene of an accident or when the vehicle is on fire.

These potential hazards are associated with the properties of the fuel itself (e.g. hydrogen, compressed natural gas or gasoline), the device in which the fuel is stored (e.g. compressed or liquid) and the characteristics of the drive train (electric motor, combustion engine, fuel cell etc.). The biggest problem is that there are many possible variants of alternative propulsion systems and every different variant has its own combination of potential dangers, safety precautions and deactivation procedures.

In addition to the specific fire department standards, that should always be followed, this text should give a basic understanding about the potential dangers, the built in safety devices that should reduce the risk and some necessary but basic procedures for emergency responders.

With this knowledge, and important information about the vehicle and the fuel type, alternative fueled vehicles can be handled safely, even after an accident or on the scene of a vehicle fire.

Questions?

Any questions about the procedures for alternative fueled vehicles?