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Hybrid Car DangerEmergency responders need to take into account several things with hybrids when doing their rescue work. For the first, EMT's have training in which the focus is on their patients, for a good reason, but they do not typically get training on the dangers that a hybrid cars may pose in terms of high voltage. The hybrid cars are very quiet when powered up, so the medical team often just assumes that the vehicle is on and powered up. In case of the batteries that charge the car, the emergency teams are typically dealing with anywhere from a 144 to over 500 volt situations. During the rescue and extrication they need to show extra care and avoiding cutting into the high voltage cables. The real effort ongoing in most emergency teams across the country is to teach personnel how to turn off the hybrids before the rescue begins, and to locate the master disconnect switches for different types of hybrid cars. The problem is compounded by the fact that recognizing a hybrid car isn't always easy, as the cars look very much the same as their non-hybrid sister models. This makes the labeling of the car critical. Finally, as the hybrid cars are very quiet, there are situations, in which the rescue team works to save a patient in front of the car, and there is a danger that the car starts to roll and the crew won't hear it coming.
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