Rep. Lee Hyung-seok: "Inadequate Measures for Electric Vehicle Fire Suppression"

Special 'Sohwasujo' Firefighting Tank Only 2 Units Owned by Fire Agency... Most Training Conducted via Video Viewing

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Although the number of electric vehicles (EVs) in South Korea has significantly increased and the number of fire incidents has risen accordingly, it has been revealed that the National Fire Agency (NFA) has almost no measures in place to combat EV fires.

According to data received by Rep. Lee Hyung-seok (Democratic Party of Korea, Gwangju Buk-gu Eul) from the NFA for the National Assembly inspection on the 7th, as the supply of EVs has surged, EV fires have also occurred frequently, but the special equipment necessary for extinguishing EV fires is severely lacking.

Experiments conducted by the NFA and the National Fire Research Institute have shown that due to the characteristics of the battery, EV fires are not easily extinguished once a fire breaks out in the vehicle.

Even when using extinguishing agents, it takes from as short as 2 hours to as long as 16 hours and 35 minutes to completely put out the fire.

In experiments using an oxygen deprivation fire suppression cover for EV fire extinguishing, even when fully covered, the engine room temperature rose to 670 degrees Celsius after 10 minutes, and when the cover was removed, the fire reignited, confirming the difficulties in extinguishing EV fires.

Therefore, when an EV fire occurs in places like underground parking lots, there is a high risk of chain fire spread to adjacent vehicles, raising the need for measures to effectively suppress the fire early and prevent its spread.

However, it has been revealed that the NFA’s preparedness for EV fire response is currently insufficient. First, there are only two special fire suppression water tanks for EV fire extinguishing nationwide.

Rep. Lee explained that the NFA’s EV fire response manual is also inadequate.

According to the “Detailed Explanation Materials on EV Fire Extinguishing Measures” submitted by the NFA, in the event of an EV fire, it is specified to extinguish initially with water spray and ABC powder (fire extinguisher), extinguish with a large amount of water during the growth stage, and maintain distance while spraying water to prepare for battery explosions during the peak stage.

The NFA’s EV fire response training has also been insufficient. In the past five years, actual EV fire extinguishing training, including experiments, has been conducted only six times, and most EV fire training has been replaced by watching videos.

Given the severe shortage of equipment for EV fire extinguishing, the inadequacy of fire suppression manuals, and the poor quality of fire response training, Rep. Lee expressed serious concerns about whether on-site firefighters can effectively respond to EV fires.

Rep. Lee said, “While EV supply and fire accidents are increasing, the NFA’s countermeasures are insufficient. The EV fire response manual should be supplemented, related equipment secured, and practical fire extinguishing training should be conducted in parallel to enhance the ability of on-site firefighters to respond to EV fires.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.