On the front lines of vehicle rescues

Apr 18, 2009

Special to The Star

It's a worst-case scenario: a car has crashed, and someone is trapped inside. The seat belts and air bags have done their job, and the driver has survived.

But now, as firefighters work to extricate him, those safety features become part of the process of pulling the car apart.

Air bags, high-strength steel and hybrid electrical systems must all be taken into account, and first responders are continually upgrading their skills and working with vehicle manufacturers to stay on top of the latest features.

"My job is primarily to keep up with the new technology that exists today," says Mark Bardgett, a captain with Toronto Fire Services who works in professional development and training. "We have online training, shift training instructors and an auto extrication skills maintenance program."

While the basics haven't changed – stabilize patient and vehicle and then determine the best way to dismantle the car – fire services across the country are constantly learning as cars become more sophisticated.

"Some vehicles have five layers of steel and reinforced pillars," Bardgett says. "If you cut it, you can see that there are layers of overriding steel, and we teach our crews to work with it. If hydraulics don't work, we use air chisels or reciprocating saws. It doesn't take longer to get someone out, but we look at different ways when we assess wrecks, and determine what is the best way to defeat the structure.

"We look at the make of the vehicle, the type of vehicle, and come up with a plan to perform the quickest, safest extrication, with the patient being the common denominator. If the method isn't successful, we always have a Plan B in store," Bardgett says.

"It's not like television. We have many different ways to gain access to our patients by moving metal."

A routine is always followed. First, the vehicle is stabilized with wooden structures, called cribs, to prevent rolling or shifting. Then, before any cuts are made, firefighters "peel and peek," Bardgett says.

"We remove interior trim, looking for any type of gas inflators or pyrotechnic devices used for safety systems, or for brake and fuel lines that can run along the rocker panels."

They disconnect the battery, but stay away from the "strike zone" around undeployed airbags, which may still be live. "The capacitors can store energy for five to 10 minutes, or maybe longer, and we have to respect that," Bardgett says.

"Some manufacturers have weight sensors in the seat, and if we kneel into a car on the seat and the vehicle hasn't been shut down, there's potential for the air bag to deploy."

So should you worry that your safety features will impair your rescue? Absolutely not.

"These are there to save you, first and foremost," says Bill Davies, GM's Canadian manager for field performance assessment. "It is a consideration, and as we design a vehicle and make it stronger, it will take more effort for a responder with his tools to get in and get people out. But as long as they keep up the training, then their systems and procedures take these into account.

Like other manufacturers, GM provides an online manual that includes schematics and information for first responders. Toronto Fire Services uses software, available in the rescue vehicles, that pulls up diagrams of safety systems for each vehicle model and year.

Hybrids are also a concern, and like GM, Toyota donates new vehicles for responder training.

"There was some apprehension when hybrids were introduced for emergency response teams to understand the differences between hybrids and conventional vehicles," says Sandy Di Felice, director of external affairs for Toyota Canada.

"Toyota took a very strong approach that whoever would be servicing or approaching a vehicle would have the utmost safety provision, so there were no issues. Everything from the fluid in the battery, how they coded and placed the cables around the vehicle, isolating the chassis from the battery, that was all done."

"Fire departments have always been able to meet the challenges of new vehicle technology," Bardgett says.

"It will just be a case of gaining information and learning it. With safety procedures in mind, a rescue scene can be a very safe and efficient operation."

Toronto Star