In light of the Chevrolet Volt being deployed in Detroit, first responders are required to gain a whole new set of skills when it comes to handling a crash in which a plug-in hybrid vehicle is involved.
Chevy is teaching the men and women who have chosen life saving as a job specific tasks like power shut-off procedures or specifics like lithium ion battery details, locations of high-strength steel and cut points for extrication.
“Our goal with this program is to help public safety personnel become as comfortable working around electric vehicles as they are with conventional vehicles today,” said Gay Kent, GM director of Vehicle Safety and Crashworthiness.
In addition to the face-to-face training, Chevrolet has already launched a series of training programs, like web-based training materials, an extrication video and a whole range of shared resources for instructor-led safety presentations. In all likeliness, the training program will slowly expand to more and more cities, starting with those in which the Volt is scheduled to be deployed this year.
“First responders have a long history of successfully adapting their response to new vehicles and equipment in order to protect the public, as well as themselves.” said Jim Shannon, NFPA president. “We’re proud of our role in supporting the emergency services and look forward to expanding the reach of this training program to communities across America.”
Google News