When workers and emergency responders need to learn about safety for new technologies, they turn to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Volpentest HAMMER Training & Education Center in Richland, Washington. HAMMER plays an integral role in preparing workers and emergency responders for a variety of high-risk tasks and the use of new technologies.
Recently HAMMER acquired a new prop, a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle built by Kidde Fire Trainers for the DOE. Like the other props at HAMMER, it allows trainers to safely simulate emergency scenarios so firefighters can practice appropriate response techniques.
CaFCPCalifornia Fuel Cell Partnership Safety Officer, Jennifer Hamilton is a lead instructor for the course “Hydrogen Emergency Response Training for First Responders,” developed and delivered by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and HAMMER. Jennifer leads classroom portions during which she discusses the properties of hydrogen and applications in transportation and stationary power. James Bryan and Scott Jones of HAMMER lead the emergency response training modules, group scenario exercises and quiz.
After the classroom session, students don full turnouts for hands-on exercises with the FCV prop. Firefighters wear all of their safety gear including SCBA, helmet, jacket, pants, gloves and eye protection as they would for many emergency circumstances. HAMMER fire training personnel monitor all of the activities and students use the same precautions as if it were a real incident.
One of the exercises simulates a crash of a conventional vehicle and a hydrogen vehicle. Two teams of firefighters work together: one to fight the fire and the second to rescue an unconscious driver (dummy) from behind the wheel of the hydrogen vehicle. Firefighters use the techniques they discussed in the classroom: fight the gasoline fire to keep it from spreading and listen for the loud hiss of venting hydrogen. A hydrogen fire extinguishes itself when the fuel is gone. Otherwise, responding to an incident with a hydrogen vehicle is no different than with a conventional vehicle.
Every year, Jennifer trains hundreds of fire personnel. Like gasoline, propane and electricity, firefighters need to know how to properly handle hydrogen vehicles and fuel in an emergency circumstance. Firefighters come away with a better understanding of hydrogen’s unique properties, and knowing that hydrogen is as safe as other motor vehicle fuel.
