Dzień dobry! EV firefighting in Polska
- Apr 10
- 4 min read
On our way to speak at the 2025 Fire in Vehicles Conference in Iceland, we had the opportunity to spend a few days in beautiful Poland, with our friend Dr Wojciech Mrozik from Newcastle University to visit our firefighting brothers and sisters and learn how they’re managing electric vehicle emergency response.
The Państwowa Straż Pożarna (PSP) has stepped up to the unique risks presented by lithium-ion batteries and thermal runaway, especially since they tragically lost two of their own in April 2024 is a building collapse during a fire caused by thermal runaway in power tools and other batteries being repaired in a basement battery repair company. Their response has been professionalism, rigorous training, and a forward-thinking approach.
With approximately 75,000 electric vehicles now on the road in Poland and a growing trend toward sustainable transport, training for incidents involving EVs, while still relatively rare, is a key part of their emergency response planning. Our team have been able to verify at least 17 EV battery fires in Poland since 2010, each presenting a complex and potentially hazardous scenario for responding firefighters. During our visit, our hosts told us about other incidents they’ve attended, which we’ll work to add to our global database.
Highly trained firefighting expertise
We found the Państwowa Straż Pożarna remarkable in its calm expertise. There are approximately 28,000 career firefighters, supported by 460,000 volunteer firefighters, both the crucial core of the nation's emergency infrastructure. Together, they respond to a wide range of incidents, from industrial and chemical response, structural fires and floods to complex HAZMAT emergencies.
Aspiring firefighters undergo 2 to 5 years of intensive training, depending on their path and role. The training covers an extensive curriculum that includes fire dynamics, rescue techniques, emergency medical aid, and specialized HAZMAT response. In recent years, EV collision and battery fire training has become a standard component of this education, underpinned by an EV SOP and driven in part by the passion of our friend Dr Mrozik, who was born in Gdansk, and is now a globally recognised battery fire expert along with his colleague Emeritus Professor Paul Christensen.
A short drive from Wroclaw we toured the Centrum Badawcze PAN, a research centre for renewable energies, such as solar, heat pumps and battery energy storage systems. Solar panels have great uptake in Poland thanks to their work, with residential BESS now becoming popular.
We then had the opportunity to visit the Centrala Szkoła Państwowej Straży Pożarnej (Central School of the PSP), where approximately 60 new firefighters graduate each year. Many firefighters also have degrees in related fields, such as chemistry. Recruits live onsite for the duration of training, with access to excellent (and growing) practical facilities, including an extensive USAR and road rescue ground.
We were also lucky enough to visit the training ground Baza Szkolenia Poligonowego I Innowacji Ratownictwa Adademii, the central hub for their emergency preparedness, near the capital Warsaw. We then went to meet on-station crews at the Warszawa B HAZMAT Rescue Group and view their amazing mobile CBNRE truck. Later in the week we headed to JRG 3 Wroclaw station to present our work, hear their thoughts and have a bit of fun in the ladder truck and also present our work, with a focus on vapour cloud explosions, to the on-station crew.
How do Polish emergency responders manage EVs?
In Poland, EVs display green numberplates to donate them as containing a lithium-ion battery pack, providing instant identification for emergency response. During our time in Poland, we saw multiple passenger electric cars, several buses and a number of electric delivery or tradie vans.
When EV fires occur, Polish firefighters employ multiple strategies, determined by the specific nature and severity of the incident. The most commonly used methods include:
Cool: This involves using firefighting water to try and reduce the temperature of the battery.
Burn: Where there are no exposures, firefighters may allow the battery to burn under controlled conditions. This minimizes the risk to personnel and prevents secondary ignition after partial extinguishment.
Contain: For EVs with a heavily damaged but not yet burning battery, or after the fire is extinguished, the vehicle may be placed in a containment unit, however due to the cost of treatment, crews try to avoid filling with water where possible.
Fire crews managed a Lucid Air EV battery fire on 20th April 2024, following a single vehicle collision with a pole that punctured the battery pack. Firefighters used water to extinguish the incident, and lifted the car with wooden blocks to access the underside of the battery pack to cool it further. Images: Miejeski Reporter and WAWA Hot News 24.
At Centrala Szkoła Państwowej Straży Pożarnej they've also developed a simple tube-like underbody spray for cooling EV battery packs, practicing on EVs in training.
These responses are informed by PSP’s deep expertise in HAZMAT and chemical incident management, giving them an edge when dealing with the volatile components of lithium-ion batteries.
Looking ahead to an EV future
With EV adoption rising across Poland and the European Union pushing for greener transport alternatives, the Państwowa Straż Pożarna continues to evolve its training and protocols to stay one step ahead.
Research partnerships, updated training simulations, and equipment innovations are all on the horizon. In addition, Poland is collaborating with other EU nations to standardize emergency procedures for EV incidents, to ensure a cohesive and efficient response across borders.
Globally, the rise of electric vehicles represents a significant shift in how we think about transportation and safety, and we our team can confidently say the discipline and adaptability of Poland’s firefighters means they’re ready to meet the challenge. We look forward to collaborating with the Państwowa Straż Pożarna in future and thank Wojciech, Artur, Poitr, Artur and Poitr for so warmly sharing their knowledge and experience.