Beyond the Flames: Managing EV Fires, Toxic Smoke & Reignition
Webinar with Dalan Zartman, CEO of the Energy Security Agency (ESA), on how fire crews can choose the right tactic at an EV fire, read the atmosphere, and manage reignition risk after the flames are out.
About the webinar
EV fires don’t follow the same rules as conventional vehicle fires. Thermal runaway can’t be stopped once it starts, battery vapor is both toxic and flammable, and a vehicle that looks burned out can still hold stranded energy.
In this webinar, Bridgehill’s Nikolay Henriksen talks with Dalan Zartman, CEO of the Energy Security Agency and a career fire service veteran of more than 25 years. Dalan draws on years of large-scale battery fire testing and ESA’s response to real EV incidents.
The conversation covers how to choose between letting a vehicle burn, suppression and containment; why water can make toxic vapor worse when people nearby are at risk; where fire blankets give crews control that hose lines can’t; how to tell battery vapor from steam; and why reignition risk remains until the battery pack has been removed and assessed.
The webinar was co-hosted with Atlantic Emergency Solutions.
What you’ll learn
- Let the primary risk factor decide the tactic. After life safety, decide whether fire, vapor or battery damage is the main threat. Letting it burn, suppression and blanket containment can each be the right call.
- When vapor is the threat, water can make it worse. Picture an EV fire 100 feet from a playground full of children. Water knocks down the flames, but without combustion the toxic vapor plume becomes denser and spreads further. When protecting people nearby comes first, Dalan Zartman’s answer is to contain the vapor with a fire blanket, not to suppress the fire.
- Blankets contain fire and vapor. In parking garages, at charging stations and among closely parked vehicles, crews often can’t reach all sides of the burning car. A car fire blanket can contain both fire and vapor within minutes and stop the fire from spreading to nearby vehicles. Dalan Zartman calls fire blankets one of the safest interventions crews can apply to a vehicle.
- Reignition risk doesn’t fade with time. Stranded energy can remain even in a vehicle that looks completely burned out. Quarantining it in a tow yard doesn’t reduce the risk. Removing and assessing the battery pack does. Until then, Bridgehill recommends keeping the fire blanket in place as a precaution, so if the battery reignites, the fire is contained and doesn’t spread.
- Not all fire blankets perform the same. There are no consensus standards in the US for testing blankets in EV fires, so know what you buy. A fire blanket that is not built for the job may burn through and need constant cooling. Dalan Zartman noted that Bridgehill blankets don’t need a cooling mist to avoid burn-through.
Meet the speakers
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Dalan Zartman
CEO, Energy Security Agency (ESA)
Dalan Zartman is CEO of the Energy Security Agency (ESA), which provides electric vehicle and high-voltage incident response training, risk analysis, and emergency response planning. A longtime fire service member with a background in heavy and technical rescue, he brings hands-on expertise in emergency response, risk mitigation, and incident command for battery-related hazards.
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Nikolay Henriksen
Senior Head of Sales Americas, Bridgehill
With nearly five years at Bridgehill, Nikolay combines technical expertise in lithium-ion battery fire risks with commercial insight. He plays a key role in bringing fire blanket solutions to market through trusted partners, while ensuring customers, distributors, and end users receive the training and knowledge needed for safe and effective deployment, particularly in high-risk scenarios involving electric vehicles and lithium-ion batteries.
Products covered in this webinar
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Bridgehill Car Pro X blanket
Explore productBridgehill Car Pro X blanket is a professional car fire blanket for EVs and combustion vehicles. It withstands up to 2500°C (4500°F), helps isolate toxic smoke, and is reusable up to 30 times. It enables rapid containment without the need for water, helping conserve water resources. Car Pro X can also be deployed as a fire sail to help protect buildings in high-risk environments. Ideal for fire stations, car transport, parking facilities, and towing yards when every second counts.
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Car Standard
Explore productBridgehill Car Standard provides fast and effective fire containment for electric and combustion engine vehicles. Designed for first responders and safety professionals, it blocks flames, isolates toxic smoke, and requires no water. Lightweight, easy to deploy, and certified for high-temperature performance, it is the trusted solution for parking garages, workshops, tunnels, and charging stations.
Equipped with eyelets at one-meter intervals along the edges for use as a vertical fire sail.
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Car Standard 2
Explore productBridgehill Car Standard 2 Fire Blanket combines Bridgehill’s proven fire-blocking technology with the same trusted performance as the original Car Standard at a lower price point, making it ideal for public tenders and large-scale procurement.
Equipped with eyelets at one-meter intervals along the edges for use as a vertical fire sail.
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