Vehicle Fires and the Danger to Emergency Personnel

The demands made on motor vehicles have risen enormously over the past few years. These demands that have led the automotive engineers to develop entirely new concepts for safety, comfort, reliability and environmental compatibility. These changes have resulted in completely new vehicles which pose additional hazards to rescue service personnel in the case of a severe incident. DEKRA Accident Research analysed several vehicle fires to find out more about typical and specific risks. The paper sets out the dangers which exist, how the fire services can react to them and where improvements are required or possible.