When a veteran correctional officer crashed his electric car in May, it took firefighters an hour and a half and 30,000 gallons of water to douse the blaze.
That was too late for Daniel Sincavage, who died when he got trapped in his burning Tesla after it veered off the road and hit trees as he drove between facilities at Southern State Correctional Facility in Cumberland County.
Now, several state lawmakers want to make sure firefighters and other first responders are better armed to fight fires that ignite in electric vehicles, which require specialized training and gear to extinguish because their lithium-ion batteries burn hotter and longer than gasoline engines.
One bill would require firefighters and emergency medical technicians in New Jersey to be trained on the risks of electric vehicle fires and how to safely and effectively put them out.