If we run a minor fender bender with no entrapment, but air bags have been deployed, we attempt to disconnect the battery. We disconnect the battery to de-energize the vehicle and to prevent other un-deployed air bags from going off while the collision scene is still active. Sometimes drivers involved in the collision, police officers, tow truck drivers or us as firefighters go back into the vehicle looking for ownership/insurance or other personal belongings. Disconnecting the battery will hopefully help secure the vehicle, to make our scene safer. With that being said, the capacitor that powers air bags may take awhile to de-energize even when the battery has been disconnected. Be cautious around air all air bags within a vehicle.
For minor fender benders I try to keep the battery cable intact, mostly for tow truck drivers so they can re-connect it to make their hook up easier. This video shows a simple trick of wrapping a medical glove around the cable to prevent from making contact with the battery terminal or other metals within the engine compartment so it doesn’t become re-energized.
If this was a vehicle accident with entrapment, I wouldn’t hesitate to cut the cables, as cutting them would be faster.