Local Fire Department Invite

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Seagull @ Nov 1 2006, 05:58 PM) [snapback]342246[/snapback]</div>

Thats good they are training the FD about these things. My city's emergency response team were trained about all the hybrids and stuff.
I have a question for you.
How safe would the prius be after a crash for a emergency responder who knew nothing about the Prius? Does the Hybrid Battery cut off after a crash. What does the Prius do to help itself. I know my Prius 06" model has orange wires for the electrical stuff

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Seagull @ Nov 1 2006, 06:58 PM) [snapback]342246[/snapback]</div>

Thought I'd pass on a few comments and observations from working on similar high voltage DC power systems.

The major electrical safety features as documented in the Emergency Response Guide work equally well and are used in servicing other similar high voltage DC power systems. This is based on my experience in the installation and maintenance of large UPS (uninterruptable power) systems, some of which use 384vdc and up to 480vdc battery systems with considerably more stored energy than is present in the Prius.

The fact that the Prius high voltage system is totally isolated from body metal is a very important safety feature just as it is in high DC voltage UPS systems.

We never assume that isolation is there, and that's the first measurement we do in approaching a high voltage battery stack in a UPS system. If one side is connected (or grounded) to adjacent metal, it adds considerable risk (increased exposure to inadvertant contact with both sides of the high voltage source) in working on these systems, and we have to use different procedures. So Toyota certainly did the right thing in designing the high voltage battery system to be totally floating from body ground.

The floating ground system facillitates the next very important safety feature, e.g. the Ground Fault Detection system built into the battery shell. This system will detect if either battery lead makes contact with vehicle metal, either through a component failure, or damage from an accident. This of course shuts off power out of the battery in the event of a fault, thus adding another layer of safety.

The guide also mentions the "safeing plug" or jumper that can be pulled out of the battery.. We do the same thing as the first step in de-energizing a high voltage battery system.. i.e. open the system at the half way point in the series battery string before proceeding further.. We regularly replace batteries in high voltage UPS systems in many cases where the system can not be shut down, and use the same technicque to "safe" the system.

While the above comments are not much above what's already stated in the Prius emergency responder guide, it may add some value to know that the same design practices and methods are employed in other high voltage battery DC systems and work well to provide a level of safety in working in close proximity.

Based experience in auditing some DC power system "failure" situations, personell not trained on these systems is the biggest risk.. kudos to Toyota for publishing the guide and to your efforts to educate folks who have to approach damaged vehicles and do everything right the first time.

regards,
Dan, BSEE

 

As a fire department paramedic, I can offer nothing beyond what the guide and others here suggest, except to reinforce their points.

There is a fear among a few of my colleagues that cutting into the car's body with the Jaws of Life will electrocute them. Perhaps the best message you can deliver is that Prius is as safe as other cars to perform extrication operations on, with the few minor modifications to their approach described in the guide.

It's standard practice for responders to disconnect a battery on a wrecked car. Obviously, the Prius' 12V battery may be hard to find, so the guide will help.

Precautions regarding air bags and seat belt pretensioners are not unique to the Prius, so your audience should be familiar with them already (I hope!).

The guide's advice on firefighting tactics should be informative, though rarely needed. Despite Hollywood images to the contrary, fires in motor vehicle crashes are rare.

I can't imagine they'd ever deal with a breached HV battery and resulting chemical spill. As I re-read the guide's section on spills just now, it made me realize that I've not heard, within either emergency response or Prius circles, of a Prius collision that catastrophic. Has anyone here heard of one?

I echo Tony's remarks: Congrats for stepping up!