Firefighters had to use an ax to smash through the window.

Firefighters had to use an ax to smash through the window.

    • halcyoncmdr@lemmy.worldEnglish
      22·
      5 months ago

      Sorry that I expect first responders to actually learn new things as technology moves forwards, especially when there are millions of vehicles on the road.

      Tesla is not the only manufacturer where this would be a thing. Any vehicle with electronic actuated handles/doors would be affected. With a quick search I found the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Ford Mustang Mach-E, and Range Rover Velar all look likely to have this same issue if locked outside with a dead 12V battery since they all use electronically-activated doors or handles to open the vehicle from outside.

      Just like firefighters now learn how to fight lithium battery vehicle fires, and where the high voltage disconnects are for safety. Unlike those disconnects, which would be in different places for every vehicle model, the fact that a simple 12V jump like a normal car would let you open basically any vehicle with electronic doors or handles seems like a pretty small thing to learn.

      • asmoranomar@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        5 months ago

        Nothing stopped the person from calling road service to wire the car up, save for the fact that a child was involved.

        But there was. And ensuring the kid is safe takes top priority, and the last thing anyone wants to hear is another case of emergency responders dragging their feet while another kid dies. Smash your way safely into that car, THAT is what they are trained to do.

        Firefighters deal with a lot of shit and receive lots of training. I would argue that most firefighters know about the issues being laid out, and policy, not lack of knowledge, dictates a process to be carried out. I really don’t think this is a situation they should be vilified over if it saves lives.

        Edit: If it wasn’t clear, nobody is complaining about getting off work and finding out their car is dead, and having to call the fire department to show up with the jaws of life.