VIDEO: Rhode Island will now keep track of who owns electric cars, for the sake of firefighter safety, following new legislation signed into law by Gov. Dan McKee Tuesday. State leaders said it’s to help firefighters properly prepare before heading to a fire that involves an electric vehicle.
The law (2026-H 7135A, 2026-S 2181A) was introduced by State Rep. Earl Read. “Being a former police officer, public safety is very important to me and this bill actually came to me from my son,” Read explained.
He said his son went through the fire academy and mentioned the dangers of fired involving electric cars, including electric shock risks and environmental contamination. “The bigger the vehicle, the bigger the battery, the bigger the fire, the harder to put out,” said State Fire Marshal, Timothy McLaughlin.
Despite the dangers, it took two years for the bill to cross the Governor’s desk. “Some of the challenges were some privacy information, basically license plate information and of course people want to respect their privacy, and we need to weigh that vs. public safety,” said Read.
WJAR-TV NBC 10 Providence
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