vehicle battery's

[charles]

Looking for the pro's and con's on why we should or should not disconnect the vehicle battery, when a vehicle is involved in a fire or accident.
All responses are appreciated [email protected]

[Engine69]

Not sure of the cons, I will look forward to seeing them. We routinely disconnect the batteries on all accident calls and do the same on vehicle fires if we can gain access to the battery.

On accidents, the primary reasons are to eliminate potential ignitions sources throughout the vehicle and also to begin the discharge process for supplmental restraint systems (Air Bags). Keep in mind that some air bag systems can take over 20 minutes to discharge and become "safe", so we never "assume" them to be safe.

As for vehicle fires, ignitions sources are obviously no longer a problem, and an air bag system could be activated by the fire, so disconnecting is not so critical. However, it is a good practice to get rid of the potential ignition sources should there be a fuel leak or other combustibles that could be re-ignited.