| The Electric Vehicle Safety Training programme educates in fire safety |
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has announced its collaboration with Ford Motor Company to provide electric vehicle safety training to first responders.
The announcement comes as Ford prepares to launch the 2012 Focus Electric its new all-electric vehicle in 19 markets at the end of this year. Ford joins Chevrolet and Nissan in working with NFPA as part of its Electric Vehicle Safety Training program for first responders. By working with NFPA, first responders will have access to the safety specifications of Focus Electric. NFPA and Ford are also working together to create an instructional video that will be used during training.
NFPA's training program, which was announced last year as part of a $4.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, will provide firefighters and first responders with information about how to safely handle emergency situations involving new technologies found in electric vehicles. The collaboration with Ford and other manufacturers is part of NFPA's program.
"We welcome this opportunity to further expand our electric vehicle safety training by working with the Ford Motor Company," said Andrew Klock, NFPA's senior project manager for the program. "Their knowledge and expertise regarding the Focus Electric's engineering and our history as a leader in fire safety will complement each other as we develop the safety training curriculum to educate and prepare first responders."
NFPA's training program will provide firefighters and first responders with information about how to safely handle emergency situations |
By working with NFPA, first responders will have access to safety specifications of the Focus Electric. NFPA and Ford are also working together to create an instructional video that will be used during the trainings. Ford has been working with first responders for decades to provide them with opportunities to train on modern vehicles, materials and technologies, including providing fire departments with over 2,000 training vehicles since 1990. Following the introduction of their first hybrid model, the 2006 Escape Hybrid SUV, Ford began publishing emergency responder hybrid vehicle guides with instructions on how to quickly and safely disable the vehicle's electrical and battery systems before attempting to rescue occupants. Their partnership with the NFPA is another important step in reaching out to firefighters and first responders with information about the Ford Focus Electric. First responders will have practical experience with the vehicle and multimedia materials during NFPA's training program.
NFPA will continue to work with other auto manufacturers in an effort to include vehicle-specific information as more electric vehicles enter the marketplace. NFPA has finalised training materials and course curriculum for the full safety training program.