DUNCAN — Gas prices are beginning to climb once again, which continues to raise awareness for residents about their pocket books. As a result, many are considering new vehicles by way of hybrid electric vehicles. In retrospect, they are a good choice for those who would like to safe a few bucks at the pump, but for emergency personnel, the electric, gasoline hybrid vehicles pose an entirely new threat that has recently come to light.

Duncan Interim Fire Chief Dayton Burnside said hybrid vehicles pose a major threat of electrocuting emergency workers if a hybrid vehicle is involved in an accident.

“There’s a whole bunch of new information involving these hybrid vehicles,” Burnside said. “It’s still really new to the fire department.”

The main threat comes via the main electric line that runs from the front of the vehicle to the rear where many hybrid vehicle batteries are stored, and even in some cases, the electric drive train is located. When emergency personnel have to use the jaws of life to cut open a vehicle, many times they will resort to cutting key structural areas around the driver so as to spread the car apart and remove the pinned person. The cutting portion is where the danger lies.

“The vehicle could still be energized,” Burnside said. “There are several high voltage cables running through the channels of the vehicles, much like a fuel line does.”

But if a fuel line is cut in the process of removing an individual from a vehicle, the danger only lies in whether there is a spark present to ignite the fuel. With the high voltage lines, the risk of electrocuting the rescue personnel is very high.

Burnside said the department has lightly touched on the topic, but more training is still needed.

“The problem is, the companies that put out these vehicles don’t have a set system on how they run those lines,” Burnside said. “Every car is different and still poses a threat, so we have to keep aware of where those power cables are.

“We are training now to be aware and knowledgeable because each situation will be different and we will have to take a different approach each time.”

The reason there is such a concern for electrocution from hybrid cars is because the shock received from a hybrid system could be lethal. On a normal car, the electrical system relies on a 12 volt DC, or direct current, system. These pose not major danger to electrocution other than giving a quick shock. Hybrid cars can produce over 300 volts of direct current, well above the recommended low threshold range of 55-60 volts, making some vehicles nearly six times the lethal limit of electricity the human body can take.

“There is that threat of electrocution in all vehicles, but in these cars, it’s severe enough to kill someone,” Burnside said.

He said the Duncan Fire Department has not yet encountered a hybrid vehicle in an accident, but with more and more being seen on the roadways, it’s more likely they will eventually have to deal with one in an accident.

To counter this, Burnside said their department is beginning to gain as much knowledge as they can on the different hybrid vehicles so as to keep safe while working on the vehicles.

“We’re looking for some junkers in a junkyard or even some car company that can give us a couple to tear up and work on so we can be safe when working with these vehicles,” Burnside said. “It’s a very serious matter, and we want to be as safe as we can while working with them.”