Roadway Extrication General Safety

This Section will give the rescuer and understanding of: n Proper use of protective clothing n Protection of both rescuers and patients n Consequences of not protecting patients and rescuers n Hazards when exposed to: –SRS –Vapor recovery fuel systems –Sealed drive shafts –Hatch-back lifting devices n Utility hazards n Traffic hazards n Determining hazmat presence n Vehicle placement n Securing of a vehicle n Communications necessary during incident n 5 considerations for night operations n Misc. hazards during the extrication

Emergency Personnel Safety n Protective clothing must be worn at all times during the rescue –Head: Helmet –Eyes:Goggles or glasses –Body:Turnout or nomex jumpsuits –Hearing: Ear plugs or muffs as required –Body Substance Isolation Equipment Required at all incidents n Personnel should work within their limits –20 minutes of effective operation, 10 minutes on heavy exertion

Patient Safety n Physical and mental safety must be addressed equally n Greatest threat may be our mishandling of these n Protect the patient –Noise –Glass –Bare metal –Rocking of vehicles –Falling objects (even rescue equipment) n Use hard and soft coverings –Hard=backboards, helmets –Soft=blankets, fire resistive cloth, aluminized

Crowd Control n Always an issue at an accident scene n Crowd could restrict your activities –May provide bad direction to rescue effort n May provide ignition sources n Theft of property may become an issue n Keep crowd at a distance –Physical barriers –Ropes or barricade tape n Should shield crowd from DOA’s or critically injured when possible

Traffic Control n Controlling the traffic early will reduce problems later –Prevents secondary collisions n Make this an integral part of the hazard control process n Vehicles should be utilized to box off the accident scene n Avoid complete stopping of traffic –Limits access of other responding units

Downed Power Line Hazards n Amperage is the killer n 1/10 th of an amp is enough to kill n Power lines have at least 200 times the killing power necessary n 2-8 mili-amps sensation of shock n 8-15 m/amps is painful n m/amps loose control of muscles n m/amps difficulty breathing n m/amps v-fib n 200 or more m/amps may produce burns

Downed Wire Safety n Contact utility immediately n Do not use drip loop cutters for this purpose n Ground Gradient –Circles of current in ground –Steps should be together n Occupants of vehicles should stay in car unless absolutely necessary –Then jump free without touching the vehicle and ground at the same time

Radiation Hazards n 3 types of radiation n Alpha –Shielded by a sheet of paper or air n Beta –Shielded by glass or metal sheet n Gamma –Most dangerous –Shielding by heavy lead or concrete n Amount of radiation received depends on –Time exposed, Distance from source, Shielding in place

Vehicle Hazards n Related to the vehicle itself –Fuel and electrical systems –Stability of the vehicle –Sharp glass and metal –Batteries

Response to the scene n Driving to the accident –NFPA data suggests 30% of injuries is some years n Backing up is a huge hazard n Staging of vehicles and personnel may be necessary until size-up complete

Proper Positioning of Apparatus n Safest and most advantageous spot –Must minimize exposure of rescue personnel to oncoming traffic n Position vehicles on the approach side of the accident in the same lane of traffic involved –Get between involved vehicles and oncoming traffic if possible n No obvious hazard, no vehicle should be parked any closer than 100’ of crash site

Safety Upon Arrival At Scene n 3 hazard categories must be addressed –Environmental Weather arrival –Incident Related to incident –Crowds, hazmat, traffic, electrical –Vehicle Vehicles involved themselves –Fuel, battery, stability, sharp objects

Initial Rescue Activities n Sequence of activities –Arrival –Size-up –Establishment of command –Scene stabilization –Patient access –Initial emergency medical care