OAKLAND TWP — Hybrid and electric vehicles just aren’t common in many parts of Butler County.

“There may be some passing through the area, but I don’t know of anybody living (in Marion Township) that has one,” said Gene Newburn, a firefighter with the Marion Township Volunteer Fire Company.

However, this can present a challenge for firefighters and other emergency responders who may respond to a crash involving one of these vehicles.

To alleviate this situation, Randy and Bob’s CARSTAR on Route 38 held First Responder Emergency Extraction training to update responders on newer vehicle technology and how to extract victims from new vehicles.

More than 80 firefighters from 10 departments registered to attend the classes, one of which was held Wednesday. Another is scheduled for tonight.

The training started with a classroom session followed by practical lessons, which included being able to cut into newer model vehicles.

Natalie Butcherine, marketing manager for Randy and Bob’s, said that other CARSTAR franchises had started holding these courses, which led to Randy and Bob’s holding one.

Randy and Bob’s first hosted the event in 2011.

“It was a huge success,” Butcherine said.

Vehicles for firefighters to examine as well as cut into were donated by State Farm Insurance and Pry’s Towing in Clay Township.

Steve Martin from ESI Equipment/Holmatro was the instructor.

He said the course partially is designed to keep first responders aware of new features in vehicles.

“You’re going to see things come out in 2014 models that are not in the 2013s,” Martin said.

He said another point of the training is to debunk myths about responding to incidents involving electric or hybrid cars. As an example, he said that some first responders think that touching a hybrid car that has crashed into a body of water will cause them to get a shock.

“It’s 100 percent fiction,” Martin said.

The course discussed how to identify a hybrid car and the differences in construction. He said that hybrid vehicles have high voltage lines, which do not exist in conventional cars, that responders should not cut through.

The course also discussed new, high-strength steel, advanced restraint systems and new air bag technology.

Newburn from the Marion Township Volunteer Fire Company was one of the 40 firefighters at Wednesday’s training.

“I just like to get as much training as I can,” Newburn said.

Nick Grove, chief of the North Washington Volunteer Fire Department, brought five of the department’s firefighters to the event.

“(We’re) keeping up on technology that’s out there,” Grove said.

He said it is rare to be able to train on hybrid vehicles, making the session valuable.

“Most of our people probably haven’t seen one of these,” Grove said.

He said the department has had to respond to crashes involving hybrid vehicles, but has not had to do any extrications.

Bob Jamison, deputy chief of the Sandycreek Township Volunteer Fire Department, said that he too appreciated the ability to practice with actual new vehicles.

“A lot of our extraction practice is on older vehicles,” Jamison said.

High voltage technology in the hybrid cars can be a concern, so he was pleased to be able to get experience with that.

“To see the new technology is just tremendous,” Jamison said.

Mike Iscrupe, a captain with the Unionville Volunteer Fire Company, took the same course at Randy and Bob’s back in 2011. He considered this time to be a refresher course that featured some new things.

“There’s always new stuff out there,” Iscrupe said.

In addition to the new hybrid technology that was discussed at the course, Iscrupe said that first responders can look up plans for newer car models using a smart phone while on the scene.

“You can (look up) what to cut,” Iscrupe said.

Gary Wulff, a firefighter with the Oneida Valley Volunteer Fire Department, said that he has never had to extract anyone from a hybrid vehicle, but he said it’s good to learn about new technology to be prepared.

“It’s good to stay current with the newer vehicles,” Wulff said.