On September 12th, 2025, the Nebraska Clean Cities and Communities Coalition traveled to York, Nebraska, to host a First Responder Training Event. This event was in partnership with Southeast Community College (SCC), as well as the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD). First Responders from York, Nebraska, were invited to attend the training to learn how to safely handle Electric Vehicles (EVs) in the event of an emergency. As EV adoption across the country increases to about 6,100 registered EVs, it's essential for emergency personnel to receive proper training and be aware of how to handle accidents involving EVs. This was particularly important for the first responders of York, Nebraska, to be knowledgeable about, as York is located directly off the Interstate and receives a significant amount of through traffic from other larger cities.
This training course was led by Barry Smith, the Automotive Program Director from Southeast Community College. He provided participants with a comprehensive overview of EV electrical systems, safety protocols, and emergency response procedures that are specific to the handling of electric vehicles. Barry also provided knowledge about how to safely handle electric vehicle chargers, specifically in the case of a fire. Some of the key topics included:
Structure and function of EV mechanisms.
How to Identify High-Voltage Components
Safe Handling and Emergency procedures of EV chargers
How to properly shut down EVs safely.
During the provided working lunch, we heard from Chad Pinkelman of the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD), who spoke about NPPD's mission and its role in supporting electric vehicle infrastructure in Nebraska. In the afternoon, all participants transferred from the convention center to a local Towing company, Hitz Towing, for a live demonstration of the inner workings of electric vehicles. Ross Hitz, owner of Hitz Towing, also attended the training as someone who is often a second responder on vehicle accidents. This portion of the training gave attendees an opportunity to apply what they had learned in a hands-on setting. Mr. Smith and Mark Mason—Senior Director of Workforce Development at SCC—supplied the event with two electric vehicles, which allowed participants to take a firsthand look at the mechanics and technology of the vehicles.
This training was made possible through a Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Office funded project "Clean Cities Midwest Expansion", led by the Metropolitan Energy Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Lunch was provided by the Nebraska Public Power District. The City of York allowed us the use of their conference center, and City Administrator and NEC4 Board Member Sue Crawford was integral in connecting us to the York Fire, Police, and Sheriff's Departments to participate in this training. We give our extensive gratitude to everyone involved in making this training happen.
If you are interested in setting up a training event for your local first responder departments, please contact us at: mschmidt24@unl.edu
