FIREFIGHTERS from Dawlish have put in valuable time learning how to deal with fires in electric vehicles (EVs).

Their latest drill was RTC (Road Traffic Collisions) taken by Crew Manager Kramer and Firefighter Force.

On their Facebook page the firefighters report: ‘We focused on electric vehicles and in particular the Tesla.

‘Electric vehicles are becoming more and more common and they are very different to deal with at a collision or fire compared to your average car.

‘We need to know where is safe to stabilise them, shut them off, disable the battery and where and where not to cut in order to access them.

‘The huge lithium batteries can be extremely hazardous when damaged and can take more than 4,000 gallons of water to extinguish if they catch fire.

‘Thanks to one of our colleagues next door in the Ambulance Station having an EV, we got to have a good look around the car noting the slightly different places that emergency shut offs are in each EV.

‘Sadly, they wouldn't let us cut it up for practice!!!’

‘Although we love putting all our training to use, we would rather everyone stayed safe so we don't have to give you a visit.