Full-scale Fire Suppression Tests to Analyze the Effectiveness of Existing Lithium-ion Battery Fire Response Procedures for Electric Vehicle Fires

The number of registered eco-friendly vehicles has exceeded a million, and their market share has expanded. In this study, the effectiveness of existing fire response procedures for lithium-ion batteries, which are widely used in eco-friendly vehicles, was investigated by using water-based extinguishing agents, fire blankets, and flood barriers. Water, wetting agents, and foaming agents were sprayed on the underside of battery packs. A temperature decrease rate of ~0.08 ℃ was measured, and no significant difference was observed between the extinguishing agents. Continuous thermal runaway occurred when a fire blanket was applied, and the temperature inside the damaged battery pack rapidly decreased after water permeated its cracks. Quantitative analysis of fire suppression methods can provide information toward the development of practical fire incident response plans for electric vehicles.

Analysis of the Plan to Receive Emergency Fire Response Teams for Large-Scale Disasters in Japan

In the event of large-scale disasters requiring state-level responses in Korea, the Fire Commissioner of the National Fire Agency (NFA) mobilizes the fire-fighting forces from the cities or provinces of the entire country. Korea does not have a suitable system to receive support in disaster-affected cities or provinces. There is, however, a system to support disaster-ravaged cities or provinces in accordance with the fire-fighting force mobilization system under the Framework Act on Fire Services. Unlike Korea, Japan mobilizes registered emergency fire response teams (EFRTs) to address large-scale disasters. In addition, fire departments of all prefectures and municipalities have established plans to receive EFRTs to prepare for large-scale disasters within their jurisdictions. This study analyzes the plan to receive EFRTs when large-scale disasters occur and EFRTs are mobilized in disaster sites in Japan. The receiving plan includes the following: procedure for requesting EFRT mobilization; establishment of a fire support coordination headquarters within the emergency operations headquarters of prefectures; establishment of command headquarters and command support headquarters in municipalities; establishment of air command headquarters in the fire air corps of prefectures; and appointment of the heads of command for support units and command support teams. Additionally, the plan addresses the establishment of advance points, hutment places, fueling stations, command systems, communication operation systems, task assignment systems, and unit movement and withdrawal procedures.