FOI Request 1947

Subject: Fires involving Electric or Hybrid Vehicles

Status: Complete

Date received: December 2023

Question Asked:

1. How many fires have your Service attended which involved electric or Hybrid vehicles powered by lithium-ion batteries between the following dates 1/1/21 - 1/11/23?

2. Of these fires attended in how many of these was the cause recorded as a fault on the lithium-ion battery?

3. Of the fires attended how many involved the lithium battery cells?

4. Have your Service developed specific operational procedures for dealing with fires involving lithium-ion batteries?

5. Have your service purchased any specific equipment/extinguishing/PPE agents to deal with fires involving lithium-ion batteries?

6. Does your Service provide specific training to operational crews who may be called to fires involving lithium-ion batteries?

7. Where lithium-ion batteries are involved in RTA’s persons trapped, do you adopt any specific measures to isolate the potential battery ignition risk?

8. Have your Service initiated any specific information gathering exercise on fires attended involving lithium ion batteries?

Our Response:

1. How many fires have your Service attended which involved electric or Hybrid vehicles powered by lithium-ion batteries between the following dates 1/1/21 - 1/11/23?

2. Of these fires attended in how many of these was the cause recorded as a fault on the lithium-ion battery?

3. Of the fires attended how many involved the lithium battery cells?

   Answer for 1 - 3 - Currently the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service Incident Recording System (IRS) has insufficient facilities for the comprehensive recording, and subsequent analysis, of the involvement of electric or hybrid vehicles at fires attended.

4. Have your Service developed specific operational procedures for dealing with fires involving lithium-ion batteries?

   Yes, we have a Standard Operational Procedure Document for Lithium-Ion Batteries and a Standard Operational Procedure for Electric Vehicles

5. Have your service purchased any specific equipment/extinguishing/PPE agents to deal with fires involving lithium-ion batteries?

   Faraday bag / pouches for electric vehicle key

6. Does your Service provide specific training to operational crews who may be called to fires involving lithium-ion batteries?

   Yes - to officers and crews

7. Where lithium-ion batteries are involved in RTA’s persons trapped, do you adopt any specific measures to isolate the potential battery ignition risk?

   Yes - crews have training to isolate in an emergency following assessment of risk

8. Have your Service initiated any specific information gathering exercise on fires attended involving lithium ion batteries?

   No

Outcome: Information Provided

FOI responded to within timescales: YES

Further action: NO