CFITrainer.net modules on alternative fuelled vehicles, renewal energy sources and lithium ion batteries.

The International Association of Arson Investigators online training platform (CFITrainer.net) for fire investigators and first responders has recently published their latest module looking at alternative fuelled vehicles, renewal energy sources and lithium ion batteries.

This now completes a suite of training modules,with a total of 14 hours of tested CPD training available, looking at emerging risks facing fire investigators.

Alternative-Fuel-Vehicles from CFITrainer.Net teaches the investigator about the foundational principles of vehicles fuelled by compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), propane (also known as liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG), and hydrogen (also known as fuel cell technology). You’ll learn how these vehicles are designed and fueled, how they convert the alternative fuel into power, safety hazards they carry, and important implications of these alternative fuels for fire investigation. You’ll be glad you made the effort to educate yourself the next time you see one of these vehicles in the field.

Electric_Hybrid_Vehicle_Design_Basics - As more and more electric and hybrid vehicles are sold iacross the world, fire investigators may see an increase in their caseload of fires occurring in vehicles with these designs. Before fire investigators can properly determine origin and cause in these cases, they must understand how electric and hybrid vehicles are designed, including major systems and typical components. Although every vehicle is different, as is true with conventionally-fueled vehicles, there are many common elements that can ground the investigator's understanding of the basic principles of how electric and hybrid vehicles work. This program explains those basics.

Electric_Hybrid_Vehicle_Fires - Electric and hybrid vehicles pose unique safety and origin and cause determination challenges for fire investigators. As more and more electric and hybrid vehicles are sold in the United States, fire investigators may increasingly encounter these vehicles when responding to both vehicle fires and structure fires where vehicles are present. This program presents critical safety information for how to interact with electric and hybrid vehicles, describes common failure modes that fire investigators should consider when examining electric and hybrid vehicles, and provides guidance on collection, transport, and storage of evidence from electric and hybrid vehicles.

Photovoltaic-Cells-Systems - The increasing popularity of residential solar energy systems, large photovoltaic arrays powering institutions like universities and hospitals, and commercial solar farms in rural areas pose new challenges for fire investigators responding to scenes where photovoltaic systems are present. Photovoltaic systems pose a safety hazard that must be addressed prior to an investigation. Investigators must be familiar with how photovoltaic systems work, how these systems are designed and installed, and how to safely interact with them when investigating the scene. This module provides a basic introduction to all these topics. The module also is a pre-requisite for the IAAI's residential course on solar power systems.

Lithium-Ion-Battery-Fires - Lithium-ion batteries have become very common and have gained attention as a fire/explosion cause due to a number of high profile incidents involving hover boards, e-cigarettes, and battery explosions in aircraft cargo holds. They are used in a wide array of portable electronics and power tools, as well as in heavy-duty applications like electric vehicles and energy storage systems. These batteries typically contain an organic electrolyte composed of mixtures of flammable constituents and, thus, when the batteries are damaged, misused, or malfunction, a fire and/or explosion can occur. This program explains what lithium-ion batteries are, how they are constructed, where they are used, safety concerns, and how they can cause fires and explosions.