top of page
Search

Navigating EV Fire Response: Key Insights from the 2025 Guidance for Your SOGs

EV incidents aren’t new to the fire service, but 2025 brought clearer guidance from national research and labor organizations that helps departments refine suppression, scene control, and post‑incident care. A highlighted concern involves using fire blankets over vehicles with batteries in thermal runaway: under certain conditions, a blanket can trap flammable gases; ignition may occur when air is reintroduced or the cover is disturbed. Current advisories also reiterate that water remains the primary tactic to cool lithium‑ion battery packs and regain control of the incident.

 

For chiefs, training officers, and procurement teams, these developments are an excellent prompt to review SOGs so tactics, equipment, and training align with today’s understanding—under your Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) and local conditions.

 

Decision Point (Early): Is the Battery Pack Involved?

 

Make this call before you choose tactics beyond initial knockdown. Indicators that suggest pack involvement include:

 

  • Persistent flames from wheel wells or the underbody that resist hose‑stream extinguishment

  • Hissing/popping and jetting flames

  • White/gray off‑gas and repeated reignition after initial suppression

  • High temperatures at the pack location on thermal imaging

 

When these cues are present, prioritize cooling the pack with water and treat any post‑knockdown blanket use as a gas‑management problem, not a suppression method.

 

Water‑First Stays Central to Pack Cooling

 

The operational objective is unchanged: reduce pack temperature to slow/stop propagation. Handlines remain the foundation for visible fire and exposures. When staffing and layout allow, add an under‑vehicle stream aimed toward the pack to deliver water where crews can’t safely stand. FSRI's latest experiments explicitly evaluated under‑car EV nozzles (electric vehicle nozzle) as part of water‑plus‑blanket scenarios, reinforcing the role of directed underbody cooling.

 

Flow and duration: set your benchmarks based on your specific under vehicle nozzle's flow specifications and plan for 30 – 60+ minutes of constant flow. Recommended practice from national groups continues to emphasize water application for cooling, potentially with extended operations for monitoring and follow‑up.

  

Creating Access for Under‑Vehicle Cooling

Underside shields and battery enclosures complicate access. A purpose‑built nozzle placed from the side can maintain continuous flow toward the pack while handlines address visible fire. Decide, within your SOGs:

 

  • Placement: which side/wheel well offers safest, most direct path

  • Sustainment: how long to maintain under‑vehicle flow while temperatures trend down

  • Coordination: timing with ventilation, vehicle stabilization/relocation, and line repositioning


Handline Considerations for Remote Operations

 

When you aim to stay offset from the vehicle:

  • Establish a collapse‑free corridor and secure the vehicle.

  • Maintain a reliable water path to the pack area; avoid positioning firefighters directly beneath the vehicle.

  • Use thermal imaging to confirm cooling progress.

  • Keep reignition on your radar; plan for extended monitoring and transfer. National guidance notes ongoing knowledge gaps and the need to incorporate current research into operations.

 

Where a Blanket May Fit—and Where It May Not

 

Not a primary tactic for confirmed battery involvement. Current joint notices warn of a potential explosion hazard: when a blanket removes flaming, thermal runaway may continue and flammable battery gases can accumulate beneath the cover; re‑introducing air (or lifting the blanket) can trigger ignition.

 

If your AHJ permits blanket use, treat it as conditional scene control only—e.g., short‑term radiant heat reduction or shielding bystanders/exposures after you establish continuous cooling toward the pack (ideally via an under‑vehicle nozzle). Several national advisories now urge against deploying blankets for suppression when the battery is involved.

 

Ventilation, Gas Monitoring, and Safe Blanket Removal

 

If a blanket is in play under your AHJ:

  • Ventilate first; confirm wind direction.

  • Keep personnel out of probable gas paths; treat removal as a gas‑release evolution.

  • Maintain continuous LEL/O₂ monitoring and log readings; don’t lift until readings return to normal and stabilize per your SOG.

  • Sustain water flow toward the pack during and after removal; continue monitoring for re‑ignition.

  • Avoid blanket use in confined/poorly ventilated spaces (garages, below‑grade).

 

Procurement Considerations for Chiefs

 

Under‑Vehicle Cooling Tools


Look for nozzles that:

  • Perform with limited underside access or through wheel wells

  • Are compatible with your hose packages and the flow targets on our chart

  • Offer rugged construction for repeated deployments

 

Explore: SUDZ‑IT EV Nozzle • Trident 250 • Big Water 500 • Flow chart: https://www.toxicsuppression.com/evfiresolutions

 

EV Scene‑Control Blankets (if allowed by AHJ)

Look for: large format, reinforced edges, multiple handles/grommets for remote manipulation, clear training documentation, and defined retirement criteria. Use only by trained personnel and within explicit SOG guardrails that address gas accumulation/ventilation.

 

Explore: Toxic Tarp

 

For model‑specific hazards, consult NHTSA Emergency Response Guides (ERG) to confirm battery location, cut loops, and tow/storage considerations.

 

Practical Do’s and Don’ts

 

Do

  • Use water as the primary method to control battery involvement.

  • Maintain an under‑vehicle stream when conditions allow; verify progress with TIC and gas readings.

  • Keep an exclusion zone; coordinate with tow on transfer and post‑incident staging.

  • Perform Preliminary Exposure Reduction (PER) on scene and follow advanced cleaning in your PPE program.


Don’t

  • Rely on a blanket as the main tactic for confirmed battery involvement.

  • Cover a vehicle in enclosed spaces without ventilation and continuous monitoring.

  • Lift a blanket with personnel in potential gas paths or without ongoing water flow and monitoring.

 

Training, Drills, and Post‑Incident Care

 

Focus evolutions on:

  • Under‑vehicle nozzle placement and sustained cooling

  • Blanket deployment/removal under gas‑management protocols (if authorized)

  • LEL/O₂ monitoring and wind‑aware ventilation

  • Tow coordination for transfer and cooldown staging

  • PER and advanced cleaning per your PPE program (document cleaning/inspection/retirement per standard)

 

Capture times, flows (per our chart), temperatures, gas readings, and after‑action notes to refine your SOGs and purchasing specs. For PPE care and contamination control expectations—including PER, advanced cleaning, recordkeeping, and verification of cleaning providers—follow your program built on NFPA 1850.

 

Tactical Options at a Glance (for SOG language)

 

  • Under‑vehicle cooling + handline knockdown

    • Use when: Battery involvement is suspected/confirmed.

    • Goal: Cool the pack to slow/stop propagation while minimizing time in off‑gassing paths.

    • Confidence: High (supported by current research focus and national bulletins).

  • Blanket for exposure shielding (conditional)

    • Use when: AHJ authorizes limited, short‑duration shielding after cooling is established.

    • Goal: Reduce radiant heat to exposures/bystanders while crews position lines/equipment.

    • Risks: Gas accumulation; removal phase is hazardous—requires ventilation and monitoring.

    • Confidence: Conditional; not for suppression when the battery is involved.

  • Blanket‑first (battery involved)

    • Use when: Not recommended by current advisories because of explosion hazard.

 

Procurement Resources


·         Under‑Vehicle Cooling: SUDZ‑IT EV Nozzle, Trident 250, Big Water 500

·         Large‑Format Scene‑Control Blanket: Toxic Tarp

·         Flows & Deployment Guide: https://www.toxicsuppression.com/evfiresolutions

 

Use is always subject to AHJ authority, department SOP/SOG, and training. No endorsement by FSRI, IAFF, NFPA, or any other organization is implied.

 

References

  1. FSRI & FPRF joint notice on potential explosion hazard with EV fire blankets (May 30, 2025): https://fsri.org/news/potential-hazard-involving-ev-fire-blankets

  2. FSRI research update—EV blanket experiments and under‑car nozzle testing (June 5, 2025): https://fsri.org/research-update/experiments-studying-fire-blanket-effectiveness-control-electric-vehicle-fires-are

  3. U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) urgent advisory summarizing the hazard: https://www.usfa.fema.gov/blog/urgent-safety-advisory-on-hazards-involving-fire-blankets-for-electric-vehicle-fire-suppression/

  4. IAFF Safety Advisory—Do not deploy blankets for suppression when the battery is involved (June 2025): https://www.iaff.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/2025-06-03-Safety-Advisory-4.pdf

  5. IAFC bulletin—Use large volumes of water for EV battery cooling, plan for extended operations: https://www.iafc.org/topics-and-tools/resources/resource/iafc-s-fire-department-response-to-electric-vehicle-fires-bulletin

  6. USFA Electric Vehicle Fire/Rescue Response Operations guide (2025): https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/electric-vehicle-fire-rescue-response-operations.pdf

  7. NHTSA Emergency Response Guides—model‑specific responder guidance: https://www.nhtsa.gov/emergency-response-guides

Further Reading

 

Author’s note for SOG integration: Incorporate this guidance into training evolutions and procurement language now; pair under‑vehicle cooling with continuous monitoring and explicit blanket protocols (if retained). For PPE care and documentation—including PER, advanced cleaning, and verification of cleaning entities—ensure your program aligns with NFPA 1850 requirements.

Comments

bottom of page