SALISBURY, Md. -- On paper, firefighters know what parts of a hybrid car would be safe to cut, and what parts to leave alone, lest a couple of hundred volts of electric power interrupt an emergency response.
But there hasn't been an opportunity yet for a hands-on demonstration, because Salisbury emergency responders have yet to come across a gasoline-electric hybrid car or truck involved in a serious crash.
James L. Jester, a Salisbury firefighter who has leafed through all the safety booklets and seen all the electric-grid diagrams, said he'd still like to find a specimen in the field, so to speak.

"We haven't had one in a wreck, nor have we had one in training as of yet," he said. "If we could get something that was anywhere near decent shape, I'd go and carry it back on my back. It'd be invaluable to cut that thing apart."

Across the country, firefighters and other emergency workers are trying to keep pace with the technological advances in cars and trucks sold in the United States.

Cars with hybrid technology, involving an electric motor for low-speed driving and a traditional gasoline engine that kicks in on the highway, call for special training because of high-voltage electrical wires that run through the chassis, said Kip Diggs, a spokesman for State Farm Insurance Co.

The company has produced an instructional video on hybrid safety that it offers free on its Web site.

Diggs said there have not been any reports of an emergency worker being injured by working on a wrecked hybrid.

"The way these vehicles are designed, if they're damaged, the drive systems shut down. The chance of someone being electrocuted is really remote," he said.

But to be safe, State Farm's video teaches firefighters to check a hybrid car's dashboard for any indicators that some electrical systems might still be running after a crash.

"They can sometimes go into a sleep mode. The vehicle appears to be powered down," but is in fact still switched on, Diggs said, and an inadvertent tap on the accelerator pedal could bring it back to life.
For all their preparation, few emergency workers have been able to put their hybrid safety training into practice on the Lower Shore.

"We haven't had any incidents with it in Ocean City yet, but we have read up on it," said Roger Steger, Ocean City Volunteer Fire Company fire chief. "We've encouraged our members to look at it on their own time."

Jester said he found his training tools on a firefighting Web site's "University of Extrication," and noticed that car manufacturers Toyota and Honda -- whose assembly lines crafted the first mass-produced hybrids several years ago -- have put out a good deal of information as well.

"The manufacturers are really pushing this," he said. And they are offering advice on how to deal with other technological advances in their cars as well, including high-strength metals that can be difficult for rescue tools to cut, and airbags tucked into places firefighters might not expect.

Diggs said rescuers need to take care not to nick high-pressure canisters that prime air bags in cars' frames, doors, and even seat backs.

"You can imagine what happens if you have a cutting tool and you cut into that canister. It's essentially shrapnel," he said. "It's making the cars stronger and safer, but it's making the rescue worker's job harder."

Fueleconomy  02/19/2006