Are Hybrids Difficult for Emergency Response Teams?

There are many urban (and suburban) legends circulating about hybrid cars, and among them are a couple of myths pertaining to how hybrid cars are handled by rescue crews following car accidents. Perhaps it’s only natural that the somewhat unconventional technology of hybrids would spook folks into wondering if emergency crews will be sufficiently equipped to handle some of hybrids’ less traditional components, but there’s no cause for concern. Hybrids can be dealt with in an accident just as efficiently as any gas-guzzling SUV.

One easily debunked hybrid-related myth is the concern that when a hybrid battery catches on fire, firefighters are unable to put out the blaze using conventional methods and have to sit back and wait as the battery burns completely, releasing toxic gases into the environment. On the contrary, firefighters use copious amounts of good old-fashioned water to extinguish hybrid flames and cool the battery box and high-voltage battery pack.

Understanding the various components of a hybrid car is an important step to learning how to best deal with a hybrid in an emergency situation; luckily, firefighters and emergency response teams are continually trained to respond to emerging technologies in the automobile industry—just as they’ve been doing for the last 100 years as cars evolve over time. In the late 1980s, for example, response crews had to learn to deal with the new technology of air bags—we can only hope hybrids will become as ubiquitous as that life-saving piece of equipment.

Perhaps you’ve heard the one about hybrids electrocuting accident victims who find their hybrid submerged in water or shocking unsuspecting emergency response crews? In truth, the engineering of hybrids makes electrocution by water impossible. As to those unsuspecting emergency response workers? Crews are taught that electric power cables in hybrids are an easily distinguishable bright orange color. In addition, the cars are engineered with safety precautions that disable the high voltage battery when the air bags are deployed. So fear not, hybrid drivers—you’re behind the wheel of a car that’s safe in every sense of the word.