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Deputy fire chief warns county: electric school buses pose firefighting and safety challenges
Summary
John Hendricks, deputy chief of the Terre Haute (City) Fire Department, told the council that electric vehicle fires can be difficult and costly to extinguish, that batteries can enter thermal runaway and emit hazardous gases, and that departments may lack proven suppression methods for large EVs such as school buses.
John Hendricks, deputy chief of the Terre Haute Fire Department, told the Vigo County Council that electric vehicles present unique and expensive firefighting challenges and urged officials to make school officials aware before fleet decisions are finalized.
Hendricks said departments are revising procedures for electric-vehicle fires and that current tactics often involve towing a burning EV to a safe area and letting it burn out because available suppression tools are limited. He described specialized chemicals and nozzles that can be used but said they are costly and that some chemicals are new and not fully tested. "To treat 500 gallons of water costs approximately a thousand dollars for us to do that," Hendricks said.
Hendricks also said batteries in EVs can enter thermal runaway and produce hazardous gases; he said multiple firefighters have been injured from inhaling gases in other jurisdictions and that EV fires can take 10,000–15,000 gallons of water to bring under control for a single passenger vehicle. He urged the county and school system to consider those risks as the school corporation plans to receive electric school buses in two deliveries — seven this fall and seven next spring — and suggested fire officials offer information to school decision-makers.
County officials and some council members thanked Hendricks and encouraged the fire department to reach out to the school corporation and provide technical information. No policy action was taken at the meeting; the discussion was recorded as informational and advisory.
