Nearly 20 firefighters from half a dozen departments dedicated four long, hot July nights to classes and practical exercises. OFPC Instructor Dave Bastiani (seen right, second from left, pointing) offered a steady flow of pointers on safety, technique, specific problems related to extrications from particular makes and models of cars and the urgent need to get crash victim to a hospital and into surgery before their "golden hour" runs out.

Hydraulic tools ("The Jaws of Life" and relatives) can sometimes save precious seconds. But they're not an automatic first choice: "The Jaws,"   rams, and lifting tools can compound the victim's injuries if not used wisely ...and carefully.
 
Before the team below decided to stretch the window they're working on, they had to determine that the crushing and bending that would result would NOT harm a patient

Well, not after it's been twisted and crushed in a crash. These firefighters are using handtools to open the latchbox that protects the latch and the "Nader Pin," a safety device designed to ensure that a car door doesn't open, accidentally.

Photos: Linda Wheeler, SSFD

If rescue teams need a wide opening -- as when a victim is trapped under a dash or behind the driver's seat -- the best approach may be simply (though there's nothing simple about doing the job with the clock ticking and the patient weakening) to open the entire side of the car. One way involves cutting the "B-post," the vertical member behind the front door, to create access via by what some firefighters call "the big door" technique ...and even after "the jaws" do their work, opening the door can still take muscle.

Main Fire Page   |   Back?   |   Schodack Home Page