Starting With The Basics

Vocabulary  A-post. The front post on any vehicle  B-post. The middle post on a four door vehicle  C-post. The rear post on any vehicle

Vocabulary  Rocker channel. The connection between the bottom of the front firewall and the rail below the front door  Safety restraint system (SRS). Devices that reduce injury in the event of a accident. Typical examples include safety belts and airbags

Auto Extrication Safety  All members shall be in full PPE including helmet with visor down  Secondary eye protection should be worn  The incident commander shall assign an extrication group leader  All members will work as directed by the extrication group leader

Auto Extrication Safety  Never place your hands between the tool and the car  Let the tools do the work, you will never be able to control the tool  Be cognizant of SRS (safety restraint systems)  Don’t cut any orange wires  Always cut the battery cables

The Anatomy of a Vehicle  Recognizing how a vehicle is put together and how to attack it’s weakest points will allow you to be successful  Most new cars are made in a unibody form allowing them to crumple in desired area’s  You will not be able to cut through all types of metal on newer cars

Vehicle Anatomy A-Post B-Post C-Post

Vehicle Anatomy Rocker Channel

Hybrid Vehicles  Hybrid vehicles present some different issues when they are involved in a car accident or fire.  Most hybrids use an electric motor at low speeds and to get started and then when the gas motor engages it charges the battery system of the electric motor.

Hybrid Vehicles  The battery system on a hybrid vehicle is a high voltage system consisting of numerous batteries.  The battery cables that are a part of the high voltage system are orange. Do not cut the orange cables!!!  Hybrids are designed with numerous redundancies to ensure the high voltage system is shut down in the event of a crash.

Safety Restraint Systems (SRS)  Seat belt pretensioners  Air bags, driver and passenger  Side curtain air bags  Lower leg air bags

Seat Belt Pretensioners  Seat belt pretensioners work in concert with the air bags as they deploy  As the air bag receives the signal to deploy the seat belt pretensioner pulls the seat belt tight against the body

Seat Belt Pretensioners  This allows the body to be held tightly against the seat as the air bag deploys  Most seat belt pretensioners are deployed using sodium azide (a chemical reaction producing a gas)

Seat Belt Pretensioners Precautions  Seat belt pretensioners if not activated by the collision still contain either the sodium azide solution or a compressed gas cylinder  Either the sodium azide or the compressed gas cylinder can be activated by our extrication techniques

Seat Belt Pretensioners Precautions  You must always investigate to find un- deployed SRS prior to beginning extrication  In rare instances the pretensioners can tighten the seatbelt so tight against the chest it will decrease lung volume

Air Bags, Driver and Passenger  Air bags are deployed when a vehicle detects forces on the vehicle that exceed a pre-set parameter  Air bags do not always deploy, because these parameters may not have been met  New generation air bags also have the ability to detect how much weight is in the seat and adjust the airbag deployment force

Air Bag Precautions  Un-deployed airbags can deploy during extrication. You must identify them quickly  Cutting the battery cables essentially eliminates the risk within five minutes  Removing doors from the hinge side will keep our members away from any airbag deployment  Moving the occupant as far back in the seat as possible will reduce the risk of the airbag injuring them in an unwanted deployment

Side Curtain Air Bags  Side curtain air bags are designed to protect occupants from side impacts  There are two types  Curtain types that extend down the length of the window opening  Cylindrical type that protect only the area they occupy

Side Curtain Air Bag Precautions  Un-deployed side curtain air bags present many of the same problems that driver and passenger air bags pose  Most side curtain air bags are deployed using a compressed gas cylinder  Peeling back trim around the A,B and C posts can expose the un-deployed cylinders  Cutting through an un-deployed cylinder could result in serious injury to you or your patient

SRS Identification  There is no standard identification system for safety restraint systems  Many are clearly marked, but many are not  On the next slide you will see some of the SRS markings, this is only a small example and you must use extreme caution when extricating patients from vehicles with un- deployed SRS

SRS

Securing a Vehicle  Make sure the vehicle tires are chocked front and back.  Make access to the battery (‘s) and cut the negative battery cable.  Deploy a hose line during all extrications.

Preparing for an Extrication  Deploy a tarp to place the remaining tools on. ( Sawz-all, air bags, halligan and any other tools you think may be helpful).  One individual should remain with the jaws pump if possible.  Do not freelance this only complicates an already stressful situation.

Preparing for an Extrication  Once it has been determined that an extrication will be needed the following things should occur.  Assignment of an extrication leader.  Deployment of the tools.  Place the tools either at the front or back of the vehicle (this makes it easier to conduct work on one side of the vehicle and then pass the tools to the other side).

Auto Extrication Priorities  Determine the number and severity of patients  Extrication group leader will determine which patient needs to be extricated first and the method of how that will happen  In general we will follow the order of ROOF, DOOR and DASH

Roof  Removing the roof of a vehicle often times will allow not only good access to the patient for care, but in some instances can provide you with an easy way to remove the patient from the car without needing to remove the door  All cuts should be made on one side prior to passing the tool to the other side of the car

Roof  Keep in mind to look for SRS prior to cutting  Cutting through the post’s is often made easier using the sawzall

Door  The door often times can create access to the patient, but can be time consuming depending on the severity of damage to the car

Door  If there has been air bag deployment removing the door from either the hinge or nader pin side is not a concern  If the air bags have not deployed the removal of doors shall occur from the hinged side of the door

Door  Keep in mind that a door is designed to resist front to back spreading.  What we need to do is roll the door of it’s hinges or off the nader pin.  Using leverage is going to be your greatest advantage.

Dash  Rolling a dash will allow you to remove the steering wheel from the chest area and allow access to the patients legs and feet.  The easiest way is to make a relief cut in the rocker channel and then press up from the bottom using the ram.  You must make sure the ram is secured on both ends and is pressing up on an area that has adequate resistance.

Dash

Dash  You can also roll a dash using a come along and chains.  Your fire department may not carry these tools but many of the neighboring departments may...Ask around.  You simply attach one chain under the car and one chain onto the steering wheel and use the come along to pull the steering wheel out of the way.

Conclusion  We realize that knowledge levels in the area of auto extrication vary.  Each member needs to know how to run the tools, be safe and have a basic understanding of auto extrication.  Now that you have been given the classroom knowledge it is time to get out and use the tools on the training ground.

Koontz