Tesla Trains Southern California Firefighters on EV, Battery Emergencies
Tesla recently hosted a specialized training event in San Bernardino, California, aimed at equipping hundreds of firefighters from Southern California with knowledge specific to Tesla vehicles and energy storage products. The event, part of Tesla's mission to support the transition to sustainable energy, focused on handling emergencies involving electric vehicles (EVs) and lithium-ion batteries.
Tesla engineers were present to answer questions about safely responding to vehicle fires, charging station incidents, and large-scale energy storage unit emergencies. One key takeaway from the training was that sometimes the best approach to extinguishing fires in EVs is to let the fire burn itself out if there's no risk to people or nearby structures. Tesla reassured participants that lithium-ion battery fires, while different from traditional fires, can be managed with the right mindset and preparation using standard equipment. The event covered Tesla vehicles including the Semi, and energy storage products like Powerwall and Megapack.
Tesla's training events are part of its ongoing effort to improve the knowledge and capabilities of first responders to effectively handle emergencies involving EVs and lithium-ion batteries. While there's no specific information on which firefighting departments from Northern California attended these events in the past, Tesla does offer such trainings to prepare firefighters and first responders for these specific challenges. These trainings are crucial as the world transitions towards more sustainable energy sources.
