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As a firefighter/paramedic, pray tell, how would you suggest we "just get more efficient"? Part of the challenge is access, between heat and explosive risk. It
by FireBeyond 2y ago
As a firefighter/paramedic, pray tell, how would you suggest we "just get more efficient"? Part of the challenge is access, between heat and explosive risk.
It's not about being more efficient - it's about kicking out one or more legs of the fire triangle, with water, that being heat and oxygen. The problem is that physics dictates that overcoming the BTUs being put out by a battery fire requires rather a lot of water.
Use of other liquids to absorb this heat is ... problematic. One, you have to transport it to the fire, and two, runoff. It's bad enough having structure fire water runoff going to the ground and water supply, let alone another (most likely noxious) chemical.
- bbor 2y agoI wonder if anyone bothered to test some of this water runoff for dangerous chemicals… I’m no scientist, but generally the liquids inside batteries should stay inside the batteries whenever possible. Though I guess normal car fires would have gasoline-tainted runoff anyway!
- davidbanham 2y agoManaging runoff is a factor in any vehicle fire, secondary to immediate protection of life, of course. Runoff is contained in binding, by digging ditches, etc. Contaminated runoff may then need to be removed by a specialised hazmat crew, depending on what’s in it and where is draining to. Australian here, but I can’t imagine there’s much difference on this issue.