For our own safety, label it
by

When Fresno County firefighter Chris King approaches a car crash, he moves cautiously because the wreck poses a threat to his safety.
He could get injured from air bags that suddenly deploy, seat belts that could explode or several other hazards inadvertently built into modern vehicles.

Across the nation, firefighters and other rescuers are suffering injuries from those innovations.

Though no Valley rescuer has been injured, officials contend there have been enough close calls to warrant a labeling system listing all potentially hazardous systems on board.

"I can tell you, designers of new cars didn't have the safety of firefighters in mind," says King, a captain in the Fresno County Fire District.

The labeling system would be similar to a Material Safety Data Sheet, which is posted in work areas and lists all hazardous material, says Battalion Chief Rich Stover of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention in Tulare County.

Attached to a windshield or window, the label would tell rescuers how many air bags are inside the vehicle, whether it has "pretensioning" seat belts or any other potentially hazardous gadgets.

The California State Firefighters Association says it knows of no one in Sacramento sponsoring this type of state legislation.

Stover, who teaches firefighters throughout the state about the potential dangers of modern vehicles, said the labeling system is needed. For example, the "pre-tensioning" seat belts use a charge inside a cylinder to cinch up the belt against a motorist during a crash. But fiery crashes have caused gas struts to explode near Valley rescue crews, Stover said.

Air bags meant to protect a motorist in a crash are inflated by a tiny explosion, triggered by a sensor reacting to the crash impact. An undeployed air bag, however, can be set off by a spark or by static electricity, according to the Seattle-based Airbag Institute.

In past years, disabling a vehicle was relatively easy: lift the hood and disconnect the battery. Now, the battery might be in the trunk, under a seat or in a hard-to-reach area.

Disconnecting the power source doesn't mean the vehicle's safety features are disarmed; modern computer systems in vehicles can hold electrical charges.

"An undeployed air bag poses problems," Stover said, because there is no sure way to immediately deactivate one.

According to the Airbag Institute, more than 206 million cars have air bags; at least 1 million new cars with air bags are built each month.

Today, vehicles have as many as 12 air bags. Some front air bags deploy at 200 to 300 mph. Side air bags deploy at three times the speed of front air bags.

There have been air bag-related injuries around the nation:

In Dayton, Ohio, firefighters set off air bags during a rescue; two rescuers were injured.

A Minnesota automotive technician was knocked unconscious on the showroom of a dealership when air bags suddenly deployed. He suffered hearing loss for two days.

A Chicago police officer lost an eye when dangling wire inside a crashed car hit him when the air bags deployed.

Because of the potential dangers, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is asking emergency workers to report injuries or safety concerns about air bags and other vehicle equipment. The NHTSA is considering a labeling system, but wants more data.

Charles Territo, spokesman for the Washington, D.C.-based Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which represents several major automakers, says the group hasn't taken a stance on a labeling system.

Understand, Territo says, incidents in which rescue crews get hurt from car safety products are rare. "The best defense is to educate them [firefighters and rescue personnel]," he says.

Stover and King said Holmatro Inc., a Maryland-based manufacturer of hydraulic rescue equipment, has tried to address the issue by publishing a "Rescuer's Guide to Vehicle Safety Systems" reference book.

The 600-page manual costs $138. The company also is developing a CD-ROM version that firefighters could use.

Because automakers unveil new innovations every year, "the book is outdated the minute it is published," Stover said.