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A full-day of training for the most delicate of rescue operations, removing trapped victims from mangled vehicles, was a collaboration in life-saving when the exercise was held October 4 at Santa Paula Fire Station 2. Above firefighters are hands-on cutting a door off a vehicle. |
Fire rescuers learn about extrication
October 10, 2014
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
The scene of seven wrecked cars would usually be described as a massive pileup that could result in dozens of trapped victims. But everyone not only escaped without injuries but also with plenty of knowledge when the Santa Paula Fire Department played host to the extensive exercise in saving lives.
A full-day of training for the most delicate of rescue operations, removing trapped victims from mangled vehicles, was a collaboration in life-saving when the exercise was held October 4 at Santa Paula Fire Station 2.
According to SPFD Captain Carlos Arana, the training was a multi-engine company response, with firefighters from the City of Ventura, City of Fillmore and Ventura County fire departments taking part.
Arana said seven engine companies in all were involved in the exercise coordinated by SPFD Captain Gil Segovia, and each was assigned a practice vehicle to hone their cutting skills.
But it wasn’t all hands-on rescue: the training started with 90 minutes of classroom instruction covering a variety of vehicle extrication skills and safety issues that must be adhered to, to ensure the best handling of not only those trapped but also of the rescuers themselves.
“We concentrated mostly on extrication, just different scenarios and different kinds of cars,” that Arana said included the VCFD instruction on “the various kinds of cuts,” that might be required for an extrication.
Cars and support were provided by New Image Auto Body and Santa Paula Chevrolet as well as McCoy’s Towing and Pick-A-Part.
The vehicles themselves ran the gamut of a Cadillac and BMW to a Malibu, and the seven vehicles used in the exercise represented varied model years.
Arana said such a wide range of vehicles is important: “There’s different construction in a 1970s car, the metal is a little bit thicker and obviously no airbags. In the newer cars there can be airbags everywhere,” that require great caution.
Firefighters must watch for airbags that fail to deploy on impact that could inflate during an extrication causing injury and slowing a rescue, but also the maze of wiring and cylinders airbags require.
“The exercise shows us what to look for,” although Arana said firefighters have not yet had a chance to train with a hybrid, “Which would be nice... but this whole exercise gives you a heads-up of what to look for, where to look for it and how to cut.”
Such training is an annual event traded off by different host departments and stations: “It’s good for us and a lot of the new guys on the department... and this year it was a good turnout everybody liked it,” including a representative of Holmatro Tools who supplies Jaws of Life extrication equipment to the SPFD.
Arana said, “It was a really good class... nobody got hurt and we learned a lot.
“You know people always kid around and say firefighters like to break stuff,” whether knocking down doors or breaking windows to reach a fire or tearing a car apart to save a life.
And, joked Arana, “This gave us a chance to learn how to break stuff big time!”
Joe Anselmo of New Body Image was on hand to watch the training and enjoy the barbecue prepared later by Captain Segovia and his wife Lisa.
“I gave them the Cadillac, a 2000 de Ville, the big one,” that Anselmo was taking up space in his Corporation Road shop.
“People were saying ‘I can’t believe you’re cutting this up’ but the firefighters did... and then I took it back to my shop to have the junkyard guys grab it.”
