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www.custerproducts.com • 800-490-3158 38 • June 2021 | Towman.com
• Recognize that a vehicle with a damaged battery pack will still have stranded energy. This means that if a battery is damaged, energy still remains in the undamaged cells. Cutting the emergency cut loop, a low-voltage circuit interrupter, can isolate the vehicle body from the battery, but it does NOT discharge the cells. That can only be done using special tools and techniques or by submerging the vehicle in a saltwater bath to discharge the energy. Always assume the entire vehicle could be electrified until you are assured otherwise. • Be aware that if the cut loop isn’t severed due to damage or fire, the safety systems or air bags may still be active and pose a danger to operators. • Battery fires are not extinguished easily and the extinguisher on the side of your truck will not be enough to extinguish one. Fire fighters use a large, sustained volume of water, 2,600 gallons or more, depending on the battery’s size and location. Using less water may allow the battery to release toxic gasses. • A fire in a lithium-ion battery could reignite within minutes, several hours or even days after the fire is extinguished. Do not store a vehicle with a damaged lithium-ion battery within 50 feet of a structure or another vehicle until the battery is completely discharged. Recognize the warning sounds. Reignition is accompanied by a whooshing or popping sound, followed by white smoke or electrical arcs or sparks that reignite with visible flames or fire. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently issued a report titled Safety Risks to Emergency Responders from Lithium-ion Battery Fires in Electric Vehicles that highlights: