Vehicle Extrication

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Vehicle Extrication

• Firefighter Curriculum Component 2

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Overview

• Terms Definitions
• Responsibilities
• Vehicle Recognition
• Accident Protection Systems
• Initial Operational Procedures
• Stabilization
• Pneumatic Lifting Bags

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Terms Definitions

• Extrication safely and efficiently freeing
  persons, pets, or livestock from entrapment in
  land-based vehicles of all types.
• Disentanglement that part of vehicle
  extrication that relates to the removal and/or
  manipulation of vehicle components to allow a
  properly packaged victim to be removed from the
  vehicle. Sometimes referred to as removing the
  vehicle from the victim.
• Rescue that part of vehicle extrication that
  relates to assessing, stabilizing, protecting,
  and removing a victim from entrapment.

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Terms Definitions

• S.A.F.E.
• Stop And First Evaluate
• Freeze
• FREEZE!
• Hand on Shoulder
• Stop what youre doing and listen
• Control Zones hot, warm and cold
• Hot Zone restricted access area immediately
  surrounding the scene, and only those directly
  involved in the extrication operation are allowed
  in this area. (rescue sector officer crew)
• Warm Zone where those in support of the
  extrication operation may function. (power plant
  for rescue tools and charged hose line)
• Cold Zone where incident command and related
  functions can be conducted. (tools, trucks and
  personnel staging)

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Responsibilities

• Police
• Prevent further accidents
• Traffic control
• Arrange for additional resources (i.e. tow truck)
• Investigate cause and violations
• Ambulance
• Evaluate patient condition
• Provide medical care stabilize, package
• Remove patient
• Transport patient
• Fire
• IMS
• Prevent/Control/Extinguish fires
• Extrication
• Assist medical personnel

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Vehicle Recognition

• Body on Frame
• Unibody

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Body on Frame
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Body on Frame
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Unibody
One-piece hydroformed body side rings.
Door hinges secured by thick through-bolts
located in A- and B-pillars.
Cast magnesium transverse beam behind the
instrument panel.
Triple-rolled A-post design resists roof collapse.
Shock towers connected solidly to instrument
panel.
Lateral tie bars that connect the front
longitudinal rails were closed to stiffen the
front structure and improve crashworthiness.
Hydroformed engine cradle ( not shown )
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Unibody
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Accident Protection Systems
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Accident Protection Systems

• Activation can be electrical, mechanical or
  pyrotechnic
• Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS)
• Side Impact Protection Systems (SIPS)
• Head Protection Systems (HPS)
• Seat belt pretensioners
• Knee bolsters
• Side impact beams
• Energy absorbing bumpers
• Rollover Protection Systems (ROPS)

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Airbags

• Steering Wheel
• Dash
• Seats
• Doors
• Knees
• A-Post/Roof
• Side Impact Curtains
• Head and Torso Airbag
• Head/Thorax Airbag
• Intelligent Airbags

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Airbags

• 5-10-20 Rule
• Side impact 5 deployment zone
• Steering wheel 10 deployment zone
• Dash 20 deployment zone
• Capacitors Designed to hold a charge up to 30
  minutes for secondary impact

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Seatbelt Pretensioners

• Located in B posts or on the buckle side of seats
• Designed to tighten or back wind seat belt during
  frontal collisions
• Deployed only with the front airbags
• Solution?
• Cut the seat belt early in the extrication
• Disconnect the battery
• Look before you cut!

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Seatbelt Pretensioners
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Seatbelt Pretensioners
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Seatbelt Pretensioners
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Seatbelt Pretensioners
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Initial Operational Procedures
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Size Up

• Starts from time of dispatch or earlier
  (pre-plan)
• Ongoing throughout
• Types of Collisions
• Head-on
• Rear-end
• T-bone
• Rollover
• Water

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Size Up

• Captains Arrival Report
• Paint a picture for dispatch and other crews
• Be professional, concise and calm
• You are setting the tone of the call
• Think before you speak
• Should include
• Incident location
• Observations of vehicles/patients
• Additional resources required
• Resources already on scene
• Actions to be taken
• Incident commander

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Intersection of Princess Church
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7456 CR-18
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Highway 6 and CR-51
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Tim Hortons Parking lot
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Size Up

• Outer and inner circle checks (mandatory)
• Can be done quickly if you work as a team
• Outer circle check first
• Once safe, proceed with inner check of each
  vehicle involved
• Hazards Update Captain

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Size Up

• What are you looking for during the outer circle
  check?
• Hazards hydro, damage to structures
• Other vehicles
• Patients thrown from vehicle TIC
• Firefighter looking after patient should make
  verbal contact at this time

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Size Up

• What are you looking for during the inner circle
  checks?
• of patients in or around vehicle
• Severity of injuries/entrapments
• Hazards fire, fuel leaks, vehicle in drive,
  keys in ignition, airbags deployed, alternative
  fuel sources
• Rubber set windows??

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Stabilization

• Scene 1st
• Vehicle 2nd
• Patient 3rd

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Stabilization

• Stabilize Scene
• Charged hose line
• Spills (Hazmat, fuel)
• Toxic gases
• Electrical
• Traffic control
• Crowd control

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Stabilization

• Stabilize Vehicle
• Never test stability of vehicle!
• Cribbing
• Shoring
• Winches
• Chains/Straps/Ropes
• Neutralize vehicle hazards (SRS)

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Stabilization

• Stabilize Patient
• ABCs
• First aid
• Protect from operations, environment, weather
• Monitor until EMS relieves

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Pneumatic Lifting Bags
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Pneumatic Lifting Bags

• Various shapes and sizes
• High, medium and low pressure

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Pneumatic Lifting Bags

• Plan operation before starting the work
• Be familiar with equipment
• Have an adequate air supply and sufficient
  cribbing on hand before beginning operations
• Position bags on or against a solid surface
• Never inflate bags against sharp objects use
  protective mats
• Never inflate bags fully unless they are under
  load
• Inflate bags slowly and monitor them continuously
  for any shifting
• Never work under a load supported only by lifting
  bags
• Do not stand in front of pressurized bags

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Pneumatic Lifting Bags

• Shore up the load with enough cribbing to support
  the load in case of bag failure
• Interrupt the process frequently to increase
  cribbing lift an inch, crib an inch
• Ensure that the top tier is solid when using box
  cribbing
• Avoid exposing bags to materials hotter than
  220F (104C).
• Never stack more than two bags centre the bags
  with smaller bag on top and inflate the bottom
  bag first (½ full), then inflate the top bag
  fully.
• Stacked bags can only lift the capacity of the
  lowest rated bag

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Pneumatic Lifting Bags

• Max Lifting Capacity
• Small 20.8 US tons or 41600 lbs
• Large 34.2 US tons or 68400 lbs
• Full of water, Tanker 67 weighs 45600 lbs. Is it
  safe to lift the tanker with our high pressure
  air bags stacked?
• Answer No, call for additional rescue and use
  two large bags.