Fire fighters use fire blankets to extinguish electric car blazes
Fire fighters use fire blankets to extinguish electric car blazes
2022-11-25
Fire fighters are constantly finding ways to reduce the risks of fires. With the rise of electric car usage, comes a new challenge. Electric cars contain large batteries that burn in a particularly noxious way. But now fire fighters have a new strategy: fire blankets. With a specially designed fire blanket, the dangers of an electric car fire are minimized, while water is conserved.
Flames and smoke rise incessantly from this electric car. Fire fighters rush to extinguish the blaze once they are alerted. But unlike most flames which are put out with water or foam, they’re using a large white sheet to cover the entire vehicle. Fire blankets like this one are the main strategy for a fire on an electric car.
Chen Chen-wen
Zhiben Fire Department
If you tried to put the fire out with water, you’d usually need six to seven fire trucks of water. Using a fire blanket, you can swiftly reduce the temperature of the burning vehicle. Then we can also use associated equipment to put out the fire in the battery at the base of the car.
Electric cars are proliferating, and so are accidents involving electric cars. But putting out a fire is harder in an electric car. Thermal runaway occurs when lithium batteries burn, so it gets hotter and hotter, and it releases toxic substances as it burns. In the past, fire fighters were limited to using large jets of water to cool it down and waiting until the batterywas burned out. When the chemical reaction was over they could finally put the flames out.
Now, using a fire blanket, they can reduce the temperature all around the blaze, as well as stop smoke from rising. A special silica gel layer prevents toxic substances and oxygen from passing through, and keeps the lithium battery burning in a contained state, saving both water and manpower.
Wang Wen-yi
Taitung County councilor
We can use the minimum labor and the minimum water as we extinguish the fire on the blazing vehicle.
Some of the other advantages of the fire blanket include that it’s easy to operate and store. Two people alone can place it over a burning vehicle. When folded up, it can be stored easily inside many emergency vehicles. In the future, fire fighters plan to also prioritize blankets for other smaller vehicles. With water being such a precious asset, it only makes sense to cherish it.
電動車起火難撲滅 "滅火毯"省水也省人力
2022-11-25
電動車一旦起火，因為鋰電池持續的化學反應，和一般燃油車相較，滅火難度更高，期間只能使用大量水柱持續降溫，直到化學反應結束，火勢自行熄滅。車用"滅火毯"，可藉由覆蓋起火車輛阻絕氧氣來控制火勢，防止火勢延燒周圍物體，以達到滅火效果，既省水，也省人力。
火舌伴隨濃煙，不斷從電動車內竄出，消防人員獲報，抵達現場滅火，不像一般灑水、灑泡沫灌救，他們拉來一條銀白色大帆布，罩住整輛起火車輛。原來這塊大帆布，是主要針對電動車火勢的滅火毯。
[[台東知本消防分隊長陳振文]]
“使用純水滅火的話，往往是要耗掉6到7台消防車的水量，才有辦法順利的滅火，那使用滅火毯的話，可以迅速地將起火車輛的溫度降低，然後我們也可以使用相關的設備，再進一步將車底的電池火勢撲滅。”
隨著電動車越來越普及，事故也越來越多，但由於電動車滅火過程較複雜，不但鋰電池內的化學物質持續熱失控反應，且燃燒過程中也會釋放有毒物質，以往只能用大量水柱持續降溫，等到電池燃燒殆盡，化學反應結束後自然熄滅火勢。
現在使用滅火毯覆蓋車體，不但可降低周圍溫度並減少煙霧產生，特殊矽膠塗層更可抑制有毒物質和氧氣穿透，使電池在受控制狀態下燃燒，既節省水資源，也節省人力。
[[台東縣議員王文怡]]
“可以用最少的人力，那也用最少水量，然後就可以幫我們火災的車子滅火。”
除了節省水資源及人力，滅火毯還兼具好操作、好收納的特性，只要兩個人就能攤開覆蓋住起火物，收納時，也能折成多數救災車輛放得下的大小，未來除了電動車專用，一般車輛起火，只要燃燒面積不是太大，會優先使用滅火毯，以節省珍貴水資源。
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