Qatar organized training on fire fighting techniques for electric vehicles for the first time

As an initiative to ensure maximum safety for passengers and drivers, Mowassalat (Karwa) organized the first fire training in Qatar for electric vehicles, especially those with lithium-ion batteries, in collaboration with a specialized US company.

The training was conducted over four days at Mowasalat headquarters and Ras Laffan.

A diverse group of Mowasalat employees attended the event along with representatives of the General Directorate of Civil Defence. Participants in the four-day exercise were trained to handle a variety of disaster scenarios ranging from full-scale electric vehicle accidents to multiple ignition scenarios involving electric vehicles. To perform emergency operation techniques in a controlled setting, Yutong Buses supplied a training prop bus to facilitate practical training.

The first day was spent with an overview of electric vehicles, followed by discussions on electric vehicle safety and lithium ion battery fire behavior. The second training day focused on shutdown of electric vehicles and accident management, with a special focus on evacuating passengers and special needs passengers.

The following two days focused more on practical sessions conducted on the live site. Participants were trained with a live burning battery and instructed in fire fighting tactics and operations. On the closing day of the exercise, civil defense support was integrated with water extinguishers, extrication and hand tools to access parts of the burnt bus and the lithium-ion battery.

Participants learned to apply "forced-entry" functions for gas sampling, attach the battery and quick access to external compartment doors. The simulation taught participants how to use water flow without touching a burnt battery.