This is just one of …

This is just one of those things that you don’t even consider, but then when someone calls it to your attention you think, “of course!”

The growing popularity of hybrid vehicles is a step toward cleaner air and less dependance on gasoline. But for rescuers at accident scenes, they represent a potential new danger: a network of high-voltage circuitry that may require some precise cutting to save a trapped victim.

“You don’t want to go crushing anything with hydraulic tools,” said Samuel Caroluzzi, an assistant chief with the Norristown Fire Department outside Philadelphia. “It’s enough to kill you from what they’re telling us in training.”

I imagine there would have to be some standards in the construction of hybrid and electric cars that would allow workers to know where the lines are, or some sort of automatic shutdown mechanism would have to kick in.

Manufacturers have put in place a laundry list of safety checks that the car’s computer must go through for the electrical system to run. They’ve published guides showing where the electric components are on their models; on the Toyota Prius and other hybrids, the high-power cables are colored bright orange to catch the eye of a rescue worker or a mechanic.

But there are concerns over what happens if something goes wrong and the battery, ignition and other points are inaccessible.

“It’s the ‘what-if’ that worries me,” said David Castiaux, an instructor for Mid-Del Technology Center in Del City, Okla., who teaches rescue workers about hybrids.

Something to consider.

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