Small fire brigades ill-equipped for accidents involving electric cars

Firefighters, paramedics and towing operators require special safety equipment when attending car crashes involving electric vehicles (EVs).

The smaller fire brigades in the country currently do not have this equipment.

This has led some municipalities to announce that they may not be able to take on such responsibilities.

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“We put our lives at risk when we approach an EV after a crash, says Sørin Djurhuus, incident commander at the Eystur municipality fire brigade.

One of the risks with EVs in accidents is electrocution resulting from potentially damaged electrical systems in a crash.

“We do not have the necessary protective equipment, which includes special 1,000V insulating rubber mats, special gloves and face protection,” he says.

“Only the large fire brigades in the country have such equipment. We do what we can to help in these situations, but it is certainly not safe for us.”

Read the Faroese version of this article here.

More Faroese News in English.