MANSFIELD — Capt. Shawn Yerian said Monday a new “nozzle” being developed by the Mansfield Fire Dept. could be a tool to help combat electric vehicle fires.
“The Mansfield Fire Department aims to constantly adapt to new hazards, such as lightweight building construction and now electric vehicle fires, by evaluating firefighting techniques, tools and training,” Yerian said.
Once such tool was tested again Monday afternoon in the parking lot behind Station 1, led by Lt. Christopher Sacramone, the department training officer.
The box-like metal nozzle has about 18 holes and is connected to a fire hose with a metal pipe.
Created by mechanics assigned to the MFD, the nozzle can be slid by firefighters under a burning EV to spray cool water at the bottom of the waterproof, lithium-ion battery box.
The idea is to distribute the water evenly and exactly where it is most effective to cool the most vulnerable and inaccessible part of the vehicle — the battery pack.
“The water is meant to cool the battery box, ideally stopping the thermal runaway,” Yerian said. “This will require a large, sustained volume of water.”
(Below is a short video showing testing of a new nozzle that could be used by the Mansfield Fire Dept. to help battle electric vehicle fires.)
New strategies are needed in the firefighting world to combat EV fires. The new vehicles don’t catch fire as often a vehicle powered by a traditional gas combustion engine, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
But they burn hotter and longer.
Lithium-ion battery fires can be up to 1,000 degrees hotter than a combustion engine fire. This means that if an EV catches fire, it can pose a greater risk to other objects around it—like other EVs, cars in a parking garage, or a nearby building.
Yerian said a high-voltage EV battery is a compact unit with many cells. If a single cell fails, it can cause an explosion that generates heat and gas.
“This exothermic reaction doesn’t need oxygen to sustain it and the cell’s heat can cause other cells to fail,” he said.
“To stop a thermal runaway, the best course of action is to cool the cells involved directly to prevent the failed cell from causing other cells to fail,” Yerian said.
An MFD engine carries 750 gallons of water, an adequate supply to extinguish most combustion engine fires in a matter of a few minutes. An EV fire may need tens of thousands of gallons and a few hours to extinguish.
Hence the need for more tools in the firefighting tool box. This latest device could be cost effective at about $200 each or $1,600 for all eight fire engines.
(Below are photos of a new nozzle being tested by the MFD to battle electric vehicle fires. The story continues below the gallery.)
Sacramone said Asst. Chief Troy Reed is writing departmental “standard operating guidelines” for EV fire responses, which will be reviewed by Chief Dan Crow.
He said the department has been testing varying sizes of hose with the nozzle and evaluating the impact it has on the fire engine pump pressure.
“We don’t want to work the truck too much,” Sacramone said of the PSI . “We’re in the process of trying to figure out what we want to do, what lines we’re going to use and how close we want to be to the burning EV.”
There hasn’t been an EV fire reported in Richland County as of yet. Should one occur on a city street, the MFD has access to hydrants to keep water flowing. That may not be the case if the fire occurs on U.S. 30 or I-71.
“We may end up calling the townships for a tanker shuttle,” Sacramone said. “They do a very good job of carrying water. They know how to do it and they know where to get it.”
The nozzle strategy would be combined with firefighters using hand lines to also battle the EV fire.
“This is designed to kind of cool it and the act of firefighting will take place with hand lines,” Sacramone said.
Yerian said fire departments have always had to make decisions on the best ways to battle various kinds of blazes.
“In making this decision, our primary concerns are life safety and protecting property,” he said. “Ultimately, we let each situation dictate our firefighting tactics.”