Tag Archives: vehicle extrication

Some say its to slow, but a little practice, a decent MDT or ipad, and having a general knowledge of vehicles on the road can make you faster and safer on the wreck scene. Michael Smith had an article out yesterday where he talked about avoiding high strength steels when your tools are dated.

In Part 1 of this discussion on air chisels we touched on operating hazards, general operating techniques, and a homemade chisel prop. Several videos of training on the prop along with the entire post can be seen here. Again, air chisels seem to be a love them or hat them type of tool, but in many scenarios they can provide a quick means to rescue entrapped victims. In this post we added some more training tips, street-smart techniques, and pictures of possible uses. The list isn't all inclusive, but at least a start for your training.

Air chisels seem to be a love them or hate them type of tool. In our opinion they can certainly be helpful in a variety of extrication and rescue scenarios. In Part 1 of this post we will take a look at operating hazards, general operating techniques, and a homemade chisel prop to instruct students on how to use the chisel. Several videos are included for review and discussion.

Have you seen a vehicle crash where the front drivers and passenger airbags have not deployed? The picture to the left is an example of the sensors not initiating airbag deployment.

In many extrication classes the techniques of extricating a victim's foot from the brake pedal focuses on cutting. The ability to cut the brake pedal is dependent on if you have a hydraulic brake pedal cutter or reciprocating saw and more importantly if you have room for those tools. Remember, you might just need an inch to get the victim out. What is safest and fastest for the victim and the rescuers is key.

The extrication world has changed over the years in more ways than one. Vehicle construction, tool technology, and an evolution of techniques has created both challenges and advancements for rescue personnel. As you read this post and watch the video below, reflect on some old school techniques that still work, but also embrace technology in the extrication world.

What are your options when faced with a vehicle roll-over pinning? What comes to mind first? Airbags, hydraulic tools, wreckers, jacks, lifting struts, pry bars, wedges? For this scenario you have a single victim pinned under an overturned vehicle. What is the safest and fastest option to free the victim? For the remainder of the discussion we are going to show the use of a jack. In the picture to the left and video to follow you will see the First Responder Jack in use, another common option is the farm-jack. Add other options in the comments below.

The intensity of the scene rises as the video progresses until the extrication of the patient. Check out the video below and tabletop some questions below with your crew.