Tesla hosted a specialized training event in San Bernardino, California, this week aimed at equipping firefighters and first responders with the knowledge needed to handle emergencies involving electric vehicles (EVs) and lithium-ion batteries.
Hundreds of firefighters from across Southern California gathered at the San Bernardino Regional Emergency Training Center for the two-day event. The sessions focused on the challenges of extinguishing fires in Tesla vehicles, including the Semi, and energy storage products such as Powerwall, Megapack, and solar installations.
One of the most important takeaways from the training was that sometimes the best approach is counterintuitive: allowing the fire to burn itself out if there’s no risk to people or nearby structures.
“The strategy is to basically let it burn. But it’s hard for a fire department to stand there and just watch something burn, also it’s hard for the public to see us standing there and saying why aren’t they doing their job.”
San Bernardino County Fire Captain Shawn Millerick (via ABC7)
Tesla engineers on site fielded questions about how to safely respond not only to vehicle fires but also to incidents involving charging stations and large-scale energy storage units.
Tesla business development manager Jan Gromadzki emphasized that the company views these events as part of its mission to support the transition to sustainable energy.
“Our goal is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy, and so we can’t do it alone.”
Although these types of fires can appear alarming, Tesla reassured participants that they are manageable with the right mindset and preparation. The company also stressed that while they burn differently than traditional fires, lithium-ion battery fires can still be contained with standard equipment and sound strategy.
