You left breakfast at the Daily Grind and pass Puente Pub on your way into Unionville Center when suddenly a car runs the red light and collides into the side of the car in front of you. You pull over as you get to the intersection and you immediately dial 911. The driver tries to open their car door, but they can’t get it open because of the damage. You relay all this to the 911 dispatcher and they send out a page to the firefighters of Tunxis Hose that sounds something like this:
“Rescue 15, Engine 2, Engine 3, respond to Plainville Avenue and New Britain Avenue, for a two-car Motor Vehicle Accident with Entrapment, Time of Dispatch 06:19”
You are sitting in your car and you start to hear sirens and watch as several yellow-green firetrucks pull up to the intersection. Firefighters hop out and grab big heavy tools off of the trucks. Other firefighters are carrying some wood blocks and another one is carrying something that looks like steps. You watch as one of the firefighters walks up to the vehicle and appears to push on the glass, and it immediately shatters. Moments later the door has been removed from the vehicle and the driver is freed.
But what was going on here? What was the purpose of the pieces of lumber and the step shaped objects? How did the glass shatter so easily when the firefighter pushed on it?
Let’s dive deeper and explore the tools used during vehicle extrication!
Stabilizing the Vehicle
Step Chocks and Wood Cribbing can be used to stop a vehicle from moving while the firefighters are working with the vehicle. Unexpected movement of vehicles can be harmful to both passengers and first responders and vehicles on an incline can roll downhill if not properly secured.
Removing Vehicle Doors
When a driver or passenger is trapped in their vehicle following an accident and the doors cannot be opened, the fire department will use tools to remove pieces of the vehicle until they are able to get the person out. The tools used here are the Spreaders, Cutters and a spring loaded punch.
Removing Vehicle Roof
Sometimes, when a passenger’s injuries are severe, or if it’s not possible to remove the vehicle’s doors, then firefighters must help the passengers out through the roof of the vehicle. To do this, the windshield of the car is cut using a handheld saw often called a Glass Master, and each of the six vehicle pillars are cut and then the roof is removed in a coordinated manner by several firefighters.
Pushing the Dashboard (aka “Rolling the Dash”)
During front-end collisions, it’s possible for vehicles to be bent in a way that traps parts of the driver or passenger’s body under the dashboard. When this happens, firefighters must use tools to push the dashboard off of the individual. The tools that are typically used for this process are the Cutters we mentioned before, and either our Spreaders or a Ram. The most efficient way to “roll the dash” is using a combination of cut points, and placing and extending the Electronic Ram. The alternative method also requires cuts, but the spreaders are used instead of the Ram to lift the dashboard.
If you found this stuff interesting and want to find out more about how to get involved, please drop us a line on our Contact Form. Thank you to Farmington Motor Sports for supporting our department by donating the vehicles and space that we used for our extrication training.
Important Information: Please remember to vote “YES” on April 25, 2024 to allow our community’s fire department to replace our old fire apparatus. If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please join the public forum on April 15th to learn more about the proposal. More information will be posted here as well in the future.