Firefighters and EMTs would train for EV blazes

In New Jersey, firefighters and emergency medical technicians, or EMTs, would have to train for electric-vehicle fires as part of their basic readiness. The proposal adds EV fire risks and response tactics to the public-safety playbook, so responders are not learning them for the first time at the scene.

For firefighters already engaged in fire suppression, firefighting or fire rescue before the law takes effect, the bill gives a 36-month window to complete the new course.

What the course has to cover

For firefighters, the Division of Fire Safety would adopt a training course in consultation with the New Jersey Fire and Emergency Medical Services Institute. That course would cover the risks associated with electric vehicles and how to safely and effectively manage electric-vehicle fires.

The state would also fold the firefighter course into the requirements for Firefighter 1 certification. On the EMT side, the Commissioner of Health would adopt a separate course with the Commissioner of Human Services, the institute and the New Jersey State First Aid Council, with a focus on the risks of electric vehicles and how to perform duties safely at an EV fire scene.

A modern hazard becomes standard drill

The bill is aimed less at paperwork than at the moments that matter. Electric vehicles can demand different judgment and different tactics than a conventional car fire, and the proposal would make that knowledge part of normal training rather than an extra specialty.

It would also direct the director of Fire Safety to write rules under the state Administrative Procedure Act, which means the training would be built into a formal state system instead of left to local improvisation.