Toronto, Ontario — If you really think about it, the collision repair facility could be considered the final stage of the emergency response process, as after the debris has been cleared from the road and the injured parties are sent for medical treatment, technicians are left to treat a wrecked vehicle.
To that end, Ford is empowering collision repair technicians with the same information it provides to emergency responders in the latest edition of the automaker’s On Target newsletter.
Developed and presented in part by the U.S. wing of I-CAR, the emergency response guide (ERG) developed by Ford for its electric and hybrid vehicle lineup has been made available to the collision repair industry in the aim of equipping technicians with a deeper knowledge of the locations of various safety features, including airbags and sensors, as well as detailed procedures on how to safely approach and deactivate a damaged EV.
“The ERG provides a lot of detailed information on how to approach a damaged EV, what to listen for, what to look for,” said Gerry Bonanni, senior damageability engineer at Ford.
“Yes, [the ERG] is for emergency responders, but it’s also good for body shops to look at any available information they have in addition to the Workshop Manual.” Bonanni also pointed out the vehicle owner’s guide contains helpful information as well.
The ERG also provides steps for what to do if a Ford vehicle’s charging cord lock does not release after charging, including how to safely disconnect the charging cord itself from the vehicle.
This emergency response guide from Ford specifically concerns its Escape/Lincoln Corsair, Maverick, Explorer, Aviator, F-150 and Mach-E electric and hybrid vehicles.
